Butterfly Child
by Victoria62015
Summary: We drifted...left each other reluctantly, and now he's not coming back. I've never ruled out the impossible, but when an exact copy of my dead brother was born, and of all people I was left to raise him, I've started to believe God's just mocking me. RECENTLY UPDATED. In the next very unfortunate adventure for the odd Hitachiin Family: A NEW HOST CLUB
1. The Egg

**Ello I'm a little new to the anime/manga world, so please have mercy Dx This takes place after the manga, the twins just graduating and around the age of eighteen, going on nineteen. I'm not sure I have all my facts straight, so bear with me. This is just a set-up chapter, and may not be very entertaining, but alas, tis needed. Please forgive OOCness and incorrect facts **

**Disclaimer: Yep, you guessed it…**

_**1**_

_**The Egg**_

"You took a wrong turn…"

"Did not."

"Yeah, you did."

"I did not!"

"Then why did we just pass a sign saying 'You Are Now Leaving Tama' in big fancy writing?"

"…shut-up, Kaoru."

With a very graceful and very much illegal U-turn in the middle of a bustling street, twins Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin now sped down the opposite side of the street in a tired silence, ignoring the curses thrown their way.

Our elegant but annoyed driver, none other than Hikaru, did not _mean _to sound so irritable, but when you're running on an hour of sleep and bitter tasting five-hour energy drinks, the spazzy kick it gives you has you shaking like a tiny scared Chihuahua. Words fly out of your mouth faster and harsher than when that same Chihuahua decides to nip at your ankles out of fear; at least, that's what twin numero uno was going to blame it on, anyway. Hell, that same spazzy energy drink had him relating his aggravation to freaking _Chihuahuas._

_ So _what are the reasons for lack of sleep and pissed but nervous attitude you ask? Him and his twin had finally decided to do it. Just a few weeks after finishing high school in America, and arriving home to their parents who welcomed them with open arms: they were going to move out and get an apartment. Straight out of school, practically. Living off nothing but savings. With a fresh start that was more beautiful than the spring cherry blossoms, but more intimidating than the spring storms soon to rip the pink flowers off of their secured branches.

The decision was rash and messy; the search for a nice apartment started immediately after the news was broken to their parents that their beloved sons didn't want to take over the family business. Of course, don't get the twins wrong, they enjoyed designing clothes and helping their mother and would be willing to volunteer some of their time to help with a project when they were needed, but independence was a necessity. They loved their parents to bits, but knowing what their future jobs had in store at the age of nine _bothered _them. The guarantee that they would always have more than enough money and a luxurious life style without them even trying made them feel somewhat—_useless. _

Their prayer now was that their little sister would take over the 'Hitachiin Fashion' line, and with her already dressing up mannequins and putting mommy's make-up on daddy as he tries to sleep shows promise. With their parents blessing, the two brothers combined their savings and bought an apartments just fifteen minutes away. Being the rich bastards they were, however, said apartment was more like a modern house.

With more illegal and risky driving methods, stopping to ask for directions numerous times, and a very colorful array of cuss-words inappropriate for this fanfic, they finally pulled up to an apartment complex that matched the one in the faintly colored picture Kaoru had been studying the entire way, only looking up to check on Hikaru's driving now and again.

Skidding the car to a stop on the street a few meters away from their designated apartment, Hikaru slammed the car into park and smiled cheekily.

"Told you I'd find it," he said proudly, opening his door.

"Mhm…" Kaoru hummed, following his mirror not amused. Each snatched matching duffle bags out of the trunk, not bothering with the heavier items due to pure laziness. They walked single-filed up the blossom strewed sidewalk, gold caramel eyes sizing up the complex with anxious giddiness. Each apartment ranged from a variety of light modest pastel colors, the paint chipping off in various corners and around the windows like in a horror movie, with vibrant wooden shudders of matching color. Finally reaching the navy blue door with 2-B aligned in brass in the middle, both boys stopped as Hikaru pulled out a dulled key and stuck it in the aging lock, hesitantly turning the key and peering inside slowly, half expecting the maids they were accustomed to to pop out with their fake smiles and welcome their masters home. The eerie silence made the twins slightly uncomfortable as the creaky door opened fully.

Like said before, it could hardly be called an apartment to say the least. A tiny curved foyer greeted the mischievous twins, painted a light purple color, looking either gray or lavender depending on what time of the day it was. Three different exits led to different parts of the house; one long girlish colored hallway led to three bedrooms closely packed together, another one was short and stubby, only containing a small bathroom and coat closet. The final purple colored hallway led to a fifties style kitchen, the setting sun casting a yellow glow over the black and white tiles that begged for a modernized touched; connected to that kitchen was a prestigious blindingly white living room, equipped with a TV and equally blinding couch. Lucky for the twins, all furniture had been delivered and placed where they wished a few days before, or Lord knows how _that _would've gone.

Each twin gradually made their way down the graying hallways, faces blank as they scanned their surroundings and decided whether they approved or not. Their shadows stretched across the lavender hued walls, each acting different towards their new surroundings. Hikaru seemed more apprehensive, face scrunched up into a slight pucker as his hazel eyes darted back and forth from wall to wall. The younger twin, however, was a little giddier, just slight nervousness dampening in his mood. He had more of a curious look about their new home, posture more relaxed and facial expression mirroring a child's during their first time at Disney World. They set their bags on the lightly colored wooden kitchen table, still looking at the layout. Kaoru trotted over to the living room, gleaming at the white couch.

"I think it's nice!" he chimed, plopping on the couch backwards, his legs flailing above him for a moment.

Hikaru kept a tiny pout on his lips, shoving his hands in his pockets and circling around the quaint kitchen. "I guess…"

The youngest twin popped his head out from behind the couch like a goffer, only the tip of his red orange spikes and tea colored eyes visible. "So what do we do now?" he asked in his innocent, high-pitched voice.

"Uh…" Hikaru started, turning the faucet on and off for his own enjoyment. He glanced out a tiny window that situated itself above the table, turning calmer as he saw the sun falling below the horizon. "Sleep?"

"What?" Kaoru said, slightly alarmed. His head was now fully visible, and with a quick glance out a similar window in the living room the jittery teen became crest fallen. "Well, it is nearly dark, and we've been up pretty early…I suppose we should, then…" he hummed to himself, unaware that in the quiet empty house his disappointed musings would tend to drift more.

Hikaru noticed the look on his brother's face; he smiled tiredly, but nonetheless encouragingly. "I have an idea."

*}V{*

The snow-white couch lay abandoned at the side of the room, and in its place lay two sleeping bags with two twins placed on top-one with spiky ginger hair and the other with an ashy brown color, lying flat on their stomachs and duffle bags ditched in the corner of the room.

Kaoru sighed contently, closing his soft eyes and resting his tired head on his elbows, glancing around the room with a fatigued expression. His copy mimicked his movements exactly, as they were commonly known to do, staring hard at the purple paint on the walls.

"We need to repaint," he remarked, voice muffled slightly by the pillow.

Kaoru's gaze now turned to the walls. "Maybe we should leave a few rooms purple, it's a nice shade…" he trailed off, Hikaru giving him a simple hum in reply.

"We've got to go job hunting tomorrow, too."

"Yeah…"

"When's the next payment due?"

Kaoru stayed quiet for a moment. "Next month," his reply finally came. His counterpart remained silent, looking at the carpet dazedly, calculating the numbers in his head. Kaoru grinned, gently laying a hand on his brother's elbow.

"We'll be fine."

Hikaru blinked, his once sleepy lips pulling into a smile as he nodded. Kaoru cocked his head to the side, keeping a playful look locked on his brother.

"So when will we get our _own _apartments?"

Hikaru's once happy smile now dragged itself down into a pout, eye brows knitting together. He sat up straight, legs crossed, picking up his pillow and chucking it at his beloved twin's face. His signature smirk now graced his once pouty lips; he crossed his arms and fell onto his back. "When we get tired of each other," was his vague reply.

Hikaru's own face soon met the same fate as his brother's.

*}V{* _(my silly attempt at a butterfly .)_

Screw Google.

Hikaru and Kaoru stared at the laptop screen with blood-shot, wide, dilated eyes. Two hours of job searching had amounted to absolutely nothing. Kaoru rubbed his eyes, feeling the built up water collect on his fists.

"This is _impossible," _he sighed dejectedly, running his hands down his face. Hikaru mumbled something, clicking the back button for a billionth time. Letting out a heavy sigh he stood up from the now very lumpy and uncomfortable couch, handing the lap top to his younger.

"I'm taking a break," he muttered, voice raspy with exhaustion and pure annoyance.

"Okay…"

As Hikaru walked into the adjacent kitchen, Kaoru continued the search. He perked up at a particular link that interested him; clicking on it and scanning the web page a little more excitedly, his expression of curiosity changed into satisfaction. "Hey Hika," he called, not looking away from the computer page.

"Hm?"

"You should join the police force."

"_…Hm?"_

Hikaru quickly walked over to Kaoru and took the lap top from him, clicking the down button multiple times to look at the page that interested his brother so much. "You're joking right?" he asked, looking at his brother as if he had grown two heads. _And _a tail.

Kaoru looked insulted; his lips pulled down into an unattractive frown at the crazy look his twin gave him. He shifted position on the couch so he was sitting on his knees, eye-to-eye with his still standing brother. "I'm not! I think it suits you," he explained, his usually fair colored cheeks turning a soft rose tint.

"Suits me," Hikaru countered, looking amused as if this were all a joke.

Kaoru, however, ignored the playful expression on Hikaru's face, nodding enthusiastically. His thin lips stretched into a sly smile, his golden eyes half-lidded. "And it would help with your anger-management problems."

Not amused.

"Cute," Hikaru sneered coldly, glaring at his doppelgänger.

Said doppelganger's smile morphed and become calmer, more feminine, and his eyes twinkled kindly. "I'm serious though," he started, taking the lap top from Hikaru, gaining his full attention. He stuck his fists on his hips, grinning toothily up at the pestered twin. "You should at least try it—think about it, because I think it'd be something _you'd _be good at."

Hikaru once again found a peculiar stared aimed towards Kaoru, who seemed completely oblivious concerning his joking feeling towards the subject. He focused his attention on a run in the carpet—face a blank sheet of paper and think agile fingers tapping on his knees.

"I don't know Kaoru…" he explained warily.

Kaoru looked understanding, but handed the piece of technology to his brother anyway. "Well you should at least look at it."

*}V{*

Nearing the witching hour, nothing but a faint streak of silver moon light was gracing its way across the Hitachiin twins' living room. The apartment was now bleak and boring as it held only one sleeping twin—the other sat crisscrossed, eyes unblinking and continually clicking keys on the lap top at a vast (and very annoying) rate. With a triumphant grin he poked the enter button with his pointer finger harshly, slamming the lap top shut and scrambling over to his counterpart.

"Kaoru! Kao, come on, wake up!" He shook his brother like a child would shake their parents awake on Christmas. "I did it!" he claimed, more than proud. The excited twin soon found himself eating cotton the next minute.

Kaoru yanked his pillow back into its place and attempted to smother himself with it. "-id wha?" he murmured sleepily.

"I signed up for the police force like you told me too—I have to go in for an evaluation and to talk about school and stuff, but I did it!" he hurriedly explained, looking way too giddy for _three o'clock in the freaking morning. _

Kaoru attempted a sigh into his pillow, using all the strength he could muster to pat his elder on the head. "Good for you Hika, now shut-up and sleep."

*}V{*

The picture across from the younger twin stared at him with a mocking lopsided expression, Kaoru's own head soon turning to match that of the picture's, a dull frown and bored face having no pity on the hanging frame. He traced the tip of his fingers along the bottom and put it up right, heaving a long sigh as the picture itself seemed to smirk at the poor teen that finally decided it against his better judgment to fix the photo.

Four weeks of finally being officially free of authority and having a place to call their own, and Kaoru was left home utterly alone. Hikaru was applying for his job at the police force, and without the loud presence of his brother the apartment was more than boring and even sad looking without him. Almost lifeless, it seemed. The most exciting thing Kaoru had gotten to do, was dust the blades of the ceiling fan.

The red-head blew a bang out of his eyes, gazing around the room one last time in a last effort to search for _anything _to do. He cleaned everything until it literally squeaked with spotlessness, and all of his books were still buried among an endless number of boxes. He sighed, a sigh nearly as sad as the apartment was looking, closing his eyes sleepily and sliding down the wall. Hugging his knees to his chest and humming something tunelessly out of boredom, he couldn't help the scowl at the absolutely silent and still home. He hated it—it made him feel as if he were in the middle of the Arctic Tundra. It was completely lifeless and bleak, the lone objects in the room looking gloomier than usual with nothing to keep them company.

A loud bang echoed through the foyer as the once lopsided picture fell off the hook all together, sliding down the wall and landing harshly on our lonely twin's head. He let out a sharp cry of pain and cringed, clutching his poor skull as the picture now lay on floor, probably laughing at his pain. Teeth digging into his bottom lip, Kaoru stood up and stomped to the foyer with his innocent and throbbing head still cradled in his hands. A rustling sound was coming from Hikaru's room, the rounded foyer making the sound louder and audible throughout the apartment.

"Hikaru?" Kaoru called, finally letting go of his head. A frustrated groan now echoed through the hall, and one flustered twin sped down the hall looking almost in pain. "What's wrong?" the younger asked innocently, concerned.

Hikaru was on the ground now, throwing on his designer sneakers at lightning speed. His pretty lips were pressed together in a painful way, and his movements were rushed and rather sloppy. Kaoru cocked his head and repeated his question.

"Sorry Kao…" the older brother apologized, staying on the ground as he finally got his sneakers on. "I have to take a drug test for the evaluation and I didn't have to go at the time so a drank a _really really _big cup of tea but _after _I really had to go I found out I didn't have my ID with me, and now I _really really _have to go, which I already said, but whatever. So now I have to drive all the way back to the headquarters with a very fully bladder and I think I'm in pain…" he finished quickly, rocking back and forth as an attempt to subdue his bulging bladder.

"Oh…" Kaoru responded, awkwardly, "you can go then…"

"Alright!" Hikaru responded at a very loud volume, popping off the ground like a child. He gripped the door knob and prepared to leave. Not looking at his twin, he yelled at him, "If it helps, the big brute they had evaluating me said I had a really good chance!"

And with that, Hikaru left his brother smiling gently, however desolately, in the foyer.

*}V{*

"Hikaru, you need to calm down, you look like you're about to piss yourself."

"I may have to eventually…"

Hikaru and Kaoru were seated around their kitchen table, having a simple cup of commoner's coffee after a long day of scrambling to find Kaoru a job—and worrying over Hikaru's. He was supposed to get a call today from the police agency saying whether he would be accepted or not. Said boy kept sipping his drink nervously, his leg bobbing up and down with anxiousness as evening drew closer. Kaoru was understanding, but teased him about it—Hikaru was reminding him of when he came rushing in the apartment one day with a full bladder and missing ID card. He smiled at the memory, only Hikaru took it as a smirk.

"Don't laugh, I actually really hope I get this job…" he said, grimacing.

"I'm not laughing, _I'm _the one who said you should take the job in the first place," the nearly exact copy of him said, smiling gingerly towards the rigid teen.

Hikaru took another long drag of his coffee, grinning back and resting his chin on a propped fist. "Yes, and for once you were right."

"For once?"

"…shut-up."

"I'm kidding."

"I know." A very pink tongue pointed itself at the younger twin.

The banter came to a screeching halt as the phone started ringing in an irritating musical tone, which didn't get to play long before Hikaru had jumped up and snatched it off its stand. Kaoru watched with as much interest as his brother, eyes wide and innocent looking, and mouth slightly parted.

The conversation was normal and short, Hikaru giving one worded answers and listening intently. And then his face fell, lips perched out in a terrible frown. Kaoru felt himself grow sad with his brother, mentally cursing the police force. Hikaru thanked the man on the line quietly, hanging up the phone and leaning against the counter, head hanging limply and arms crossed. Kaoru stood up and soundlessly walked over to his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder. He couldn't see his face, but Hikaru's posture showed that he was dejected.

"I'm sorry Hika, I didn't think you'd be this excited for the job, but I'm sure we can find you another job you'll like just as much…" he comforted, rubbing Hikaru's shoulder once. His brother stayed silent, however, making Kaoru feel worse. He let out a long breath, shaking the sad teen's shoulder. "Hika?"

With a long middle finger he lifted Hikaru's chin, seeing a giant fat smirk across his bright damn cheeks.

"I got it, stupid," was all his brother said, taking Kaoru by the shoulders and weakly shaking him. "I actually got it, Kao!"

The tricked twin stayed silent for a moment, dumbstruck, letting himself be shaken silly. Finally his senses came back to him and he smacked his brother across the chest. "Stupid! I was actually sad for you!" he whined, crossing his arms and pouting like a three year old.

"Yeah…but I got it," Hikaru said, leaning on his little brother's shoulder and poking his cheek.

Kaoru quit the childish act and smiled for his brother, giving him a quick hug. "Just a little bit closer to being adults," he remarked, pulling away.

"Yeah…but…we don't have to become _full _adults, right?"

"Oh hell no."

"Good," Hikaru said, a giant grin that matched his personality perfectly cutting across his cheeks.

"And what better way to celebrate this new job than illegally drinking?"

**A/N: So...there's the beginning Well, not fully. The beginning is going to be kinda slow, three chapters until we get to the actual plot, probably, but just stay with me they won't be totally painful, promise! PLEASE tell me what you think in a review, bad and good! God bless 3**


	2. The Caterpillar

**A/N: Second chappie! :D So this is when we slightly dive into the plot, and this will be a long chapter, probably. A lot will happen, but I'll make it interesting, k? : ) Here we go again!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned the twins, I'd die of blood loss from constant nose bleeds. **

_**2**_

_**The Caterpillar**_

_{July}_

Hikaru found it hard to catch his breath. It was his first day on the job—well training, technically. But after watching reality show after reality show about cops and the training they go through, Hikaru wanted nothing more than to run home and find comfort with his brother. Unfortunately, this thing called '_Hikaru's stupid pride' _would hear none of it.

Now he found himself walking the long dull colored walls of the police headquarters, where his loud echoing steps sounded as fast as the beat of his heart. Fists clenching and unclenching, he irritably ignored the lock of muddy brown hair in his eyes, letting it blend into the walls. He almost wished it were the familiar fiery color again, so that way (in his weird twisted mind) he could pretend his brother was beside him, going through the same thing he was like they always did. However, when Hikaru suggested that Kaoru join the police force, too, the younger twin literally cried with laughter and walked away giving Hikaru a pat on the head, muttering something along the lines of 'good one.'

Before the musing teen knew it he faced the glass doors of his new job, P-O-L-I-C-E spelled in big white letters across the double doors. He tried to remember the pep talk his brother had given him that morning when the older brother decided to chew on his lip for breakfast instead of having an apple, making the younger chuckle. Gentle hands took his shoulders, the same yet completely different caramel eyes looked at his own.

_"Deep breaths, bite your tongue, don't look back, and go for it."_

So Hikaru did.

Desks covered the giant room in neat rows; some occupied by burly men with and without facial hair. A couple lifted their heads to look at the boy, but then idly went back to their business and thought nothing of him. Hikaru wondered whether to feel slightly insulted or not, but concluded in the end that he preferred _not _to have fifteen pairs of eyes ridiculing him. However, now he was faced with a different problem—he had been given no instruction concerning _what _to do when he arrived at the headquarters. Fighting the urge to melt through the walls, run home, and never look back, he hesitantly tapped an officer on the shoulder who happened to be passing by.

The wall of a man turned to him, with a bored but slightly surprised look on his face as he came to meet the eyes of a significantly smaller man.

"Um," Hikaru began, digging his nails into his palms, "This is my first day, and I understand that for a while I'm supposed to go through a training program…but I wasn't given any instruction on who to report to when I got here," he explained. Much to the poor newbie's horror, the burly man crossed his gorilla like arms, with his dark never ending brown eyes looking down at him and an intimidating sneer making its way across his fat lips.

"Hey guys!" he called, looking back slightly at his comrades, "we've got a newbie!" At this, some of the officers 'ooh'ed' and some even howled, clapping their hands and shouting something obnoxious in a hillbilly-ish sort of way. Hikaru visibly deflated, his chest tightening as he prepared to run like his ass was on fire.

"Hey pretty boy," a blonde officer said, coming up with two more officers following him. "You think you can actually handle being in the police force?" he questioned, a mischievous look in his eyes that made Hikaru _jealous. _Some of the other men snickered, all leering over the boy like vultures hovered over road kill, the smell of the decomposing insides of the animal making the hungry birds excited. Hikaru, at the moment, was concerned about his insides…

"You do know what they do to you in training? I compare it to hell."

"Please, hell's like a five star hotel compared to training. You've got to run five miles every morning before the sun's even out…"

"Like that matters, because you're not sleeping the night before anyway. You have to do a training course over and over again until you puke. Twice."

"Yeah," the officer that Hikaru compared to a gorilla continued, still smirking, "You do that for months, and finally, when they deem you fit, they shoot you." Hikaru's eyes widened, body stiffening at the thought of being shot. "I'm not joking, kid. They want to see how you handle it—you'll probably get shot about, eh, few times a year."

"Ha, you guys are a joke…" Hikaru tried to play off their comments, _very _clearly nervous. Every single man in the room stared at him, their eyes like shards of ice that pierced giant holes into his body as he stood there dumbly, laughing like a nervous idiot.

Well…he kind of _was _a nervous idiot at the time, but that's not the point.

Like a nuclear bomb going off all of the policemen burst into laughter, most of them doubling over as their beer bellies jiggled with laughter that made Hikaru want to burst into tears.

Gorilla man, (which Hikaru deemed him), smacked Hikaru on the shoulder and gestured towards a separated office in the corner of the room. "We're kidding, kid! We're just a small police department, it's not like you're going to have a shoot-off anytime soon!"

This, of course, pissed Hikaru off, and he turned a very bright and pretty shade of red that reminded a lot of the men of _blood. _

Gorilla man chuckled, sniffing. "Come to my office kiddo, I'll explain to you what will happen from here on out."

*}V{*

Kaoru found himself hunched over his coffee with laughter, his twin grimacing across the table at him. "They actually did that to you? and you believed them?" he snorted. "That's so funny…"

"Not at the time!" Hikaru barked. "I wanted to come home crying…"

"Aw, and wittle brother would kiss big brother's boo-boo and make it all better?" Kaoru teased with a playful smile.

"Shut-up! You're the one who got me into this!" Hikaru snapped, not finding one bit of his teasing funny.

The accused sighed, but kept a content smile. "Yes, alright, alright, I guess it was a little harsh. But what did the—Gorilla Man?—say when you entered his office?"

"Well…" Hikaru started, looking at the ceiling, "I'll go through training while also being on the job. I'll accompany another officer to everything he's assigned, and that's going to be my training, pretty much. Of course I'll take a gun handling class, fighting course, and will have to learn how to react in some situations, but Gorilla Man said that it's usually a quiet town…they're only a small department, so they deal with minor cases."

The younger of the two thought for a moment, staring at the swirling pattern in his coffee. "That's not too bad."

"I know," Hikaru said, smiling brazenly, "I got lucky. He did say that work was nonstop, though, which I'm _not _looking forward to—but the pay is good…" Hikaru began to trail off. Kaoru sunk when hearing this; he stared at his coffee harder to hide the expression on his face.

"Oh…" he started, Hikaru looking up alarmed at the sad tone, "so you won't be here much?" The red head asked casually, his attempt to hide his disappointed voice utterly failing.

Hikaru may be immature, but like his sempai had once said he was still the older brother in the end. Said elder brother looked concerned as he saw his baby brother's face, instinctually wanting to comfort him in a way only a brother could.

"Hey," he cooed, gaining the other's attention, "come on, Kao. It's not like I'll never see you." Smiling encouragingly, the brunette twin stood from his chair and walked over to his scarlet-headed copy. Putting one hand on the younger's shoulder and trying his best to look official, he raised his right hand. "I hereby swear to spend every day I get off with you. Sound good?"

Kaoru, embarrassed by his brother's out of place maturity and silliness, lightly touched their foreheads together and smiled, a foggy blush adorning his cheeks. "Yeah…"

*}V{*

_{August}_

Two weeks. _Two freaking weeks Kaoru had not seen Hikaru once._

Said younger depressed teen lay on his bed with his head hanging off the edge of it, orange-red bangs in his eyes. They had talked on the phone, yes, but that was because when Kaoru _really _took in the fact his brother would be out there catching criminals with a loaded gun, he was nearly sick with worry.

Kaoru woke up early to go to his commoner's job—working in a small pastry café only ten minutes away. It was locally owned, so he was one of the three workers they had, and volunteered to get up and open the café every day. However, because of that, he missed the chance to see his brother. Hikaru usually went in at noon and worked _hours; _he came home around ten more than exhausted and usually passed out on his bed with little talk to his brother. Just simple greetings like 'how was your day?' and questions like 'did you eat? Oh…good…' was usually what their talk consisted of now. Now, the poor littler twin found himself _falling asleep _before his brother got home, hence the lack of the two seeing each other.

Kaoru even set up their rooms by himself—and I say _rooms. _Being eighteen the twins felt they should get separate rooms—not that they didn't occasionally fall asleep together in the living room, when they actually saw each other.

With an irritated groan and hated glance at the orange rose colored glow coming from his window, Kaoru puffed a bang out of his face and went to make Hikaru dinner. That he'd leave in the microwave. For when he came home. And, whether he liked it or not, Kaoru would be asleep.

*}V{*

"Hey Hitachiin," one of the older officers called—a particularly gruff one with a dark red mustache and shaggy hair. "We're going to get some drinks—you should come," he offered, looking sincere much to Hikaru's surprise.

Hikaru stared at the large man slightly startled. He stood at his desk, in the middle gathering his things and preparing to leave. Nearing the end of August autumn whispered closer and a few of the trees had already developed a bright red and tangerine glow, the warm colors making you feel content and safe. But with the pretty leaves, autumn also brought shorter days—Kaoru would be worried if his brother didn't come home until late.

"Uhh…sorry, I should probably head home," the newbie tried to explain.

"Come on, it's just one night."

Hikaru thought about it. It was only one night…and it wasn't like he had another chance to make friends with his coworkers…

"I'm underage…" he reasoned, shaking his head of any thought of going.

"We need a designated driver," a man with a dark mop of hair insisted.

"Well…" Hikaru was conflicted. The guilt of spending less time with his brother and friends was weighing him down like an anchor, but he desperately need to make buddy-buddy with his coworkers or risked being picked on for the rest of his police career…

Slowly, he nodded and followed the men outside.

That night Kaoru stayed up until three a.m., biting his nails off as he laid in his bed with cumbersome thoughts of his brother getting drunk and doing some half-ass idiotic stunt. He had received a message from him, but the cop refused to pick up his phone when Kaoru called back. When the worried twin heard the door open in the foyer and the tipsy groans of his brother echo down the hall, he fell into a deep hard sleep—he would have to wake up in three hours any way.

*}V{*

_{End of September, Beginning of October}_

Kaoru was starting to despise the quiet, seldom apartment that he found himself stuck in every night.

Everything was becoming routine now; Kaoru woke up before Hikaru to go to work, Hikaru got up at ten and left for work around noon, while Kaoru found himself passing Hikaru's car as he walked home, with nothing but a simple wave and barely a smile. Kaoru would then spend the rest of his day at home doing the chores and taking care of the bills. He would even cook his brother dinner and leave it in the microwave, while usually falling asleep rather early out of pure boredom. He detested the days he had off with a burning passion—oh, and the days Hikaru had off? The elder twin spent them asleep in his room or getting drunk with his new work buddies.

_He felt like a damn housewife._

*}V{*

Kaoru was nearly shaking with excitement; instead of coming from work and making himself busy, he took a nap and saved any house work for later—now he could stay up and see Hikaru when he got home!

Just a few minutes until ten Kaoru started making him and his brother some coffee, figuring he'd be tired. Planning this the day before, he even brought home some chocolate muffins that Hikaru like from the café; he was _determined _to catch up with his brother, and if fatty pastries loaded with calories were called for, then he would bribe his brother with the muffins. He kind of felt like he was cheating—but that's never exactly stopped him before, so why start to care now, ne?

Right when he heard the creak of their worn door open Kaoru sped down the hall and met his brother in the foyer, who looked slightly surprised to see his younger sibling up and jumpy.

"Kaoru?" Hikaru asked, taking off his light jacket and hanging it on a coat rack, "It's late, what are you doing up?" he wondered with a low grumbly voice, signaling that he had had a long day at work. "You have to get up early, don't you?"

"Well, yeah…" Kaoru explained, formulating a reason for his being up in his head, "but I fell asleep when I got home, so now I'm not tired."

With a small hum that showed that Hikaru was only half listening, he started walking down the hall to his room. Starting to feel slightly panicking, Kaoru reached out and snagged Hikaru's elbow, stopping him in his tracks. When the older shot an alarmed look at his twin, Kaoru stuttered to come up with an answer as to why he was acting so peculiar.

"Sorry, I just wanted to let you know that I made you some coffee, it's in the kitchen…oh! And you know those muffins you like? The chocolate ones, from the café; I know that you like our old chef's better, but these are nice too and a little different tasting so I thought you'd enjoy them, and I would like to hear about being on the force. We only talk on the phone now, and being a policeman sounds really eventful so I was curious as to how it was going…I hope it's going well, I'm sure it is, I knew you'd be good at this job, that's why I suggested it to you, and…" before Kaoru even knew what was shooting out of his mouth he started bumbling like an idiot, unable to stop when he got started from lack of having anyone to talk to in his lifeless apartment.

However, Hikaru stopped him. "Mmm…Kao, sorry buddy," he laid a weak hand on his head, stopping the little brother in his tracks, "I'm so tired, I've got to sleep. Thanks for picking up the muffins though; I'll have them for breakfast."

"Oh…" Kaoru felt near tears out of pure enervation and disappointment. "Yeah that sounds good…when I'm not here…" he grumbled to himself, the sleepy teen missing it.

"Night, Kao. Sleep well, ok? You look tired."

"Yeah, exhausted."

*}V{*

_{First of December}_

The season shifted dramatically. In the short timespan of a night Kaoru woke up to frozen blades of grass, and from the forsaken trees hung icicles that trickled down in the air like tear drops frozen in time. Against the grey back drop the people of Tama seemed to be out of color too, as they clung to their coats as a breeze that felt like peroxide being poured against a cut scratched at their skin. Kaoru compared it to his bleak heart, at the moment.

His head ached as it lay against the cold glass that separated him from the sorrowing outside, his eyes trailing Hikaru's headlights that were astoundingly bright compared to the boring surroundings. Hikaru had been called in all of the sudden—somehow a fire blazed its way through a family home despite how taciturn the atmosphere was.

On the day Hikaru promised to spend with Kaoru.

*}V{*

_{Christmas}_

"Merry Christmas!" Kaoru chimed as he held out a silver wrapped package to his brother, a giant smile on his face. However, Hikaru felt an iron weight drop in his stomach and his insides tangle together.

He forgot to get Kao a present…and he felt like _shit…_

"Kao…oh God…thank you, but I shouldn't—"

Before he could even finish his explanation Kaoru stuck a hand in the air defiantly and stopped him. With a genuinely upset pout he gave his brother a hard stare and chucked the gift in his direction. "No! You have to open your present; I made it special for you!" Kaoru explained wearing a delighted smile and glow in his eyes. Now Hikaru felt even worse, clutching the gift to his chest.

"S-special?"

"Mhm!" The little twin bobbed his head up and down excitedly, eyes closed in a cute way. "Open it!"

Hesitantly, feeling a pang in his chest at the thought of crushing his brother's happy smile, (which was so rarely seen nowadays), he picked the wrapping paper off the soft present. In the glittering silver paper was a leather jacket, with a deep ebony color and in the corner of navy blue threads was Hikaru's name. The inside was softly padded, and though the jacket wasn't thick the material was warm and would keep in the heat. Hikaru marveled at the patterned stitching, wondering how the heck his brother made this without him noticing.

"I know, it's super simple, but admittedly it was a last minute idea…Mom helped me with it; you're always complaining about how the jacket the force gave you is never warm enough, so we found some material that would keep you warm—don't worry, your boss approved it, so you can wear it on the job!" Kaoru explained, praying that his brother would like it…

"Aw Kao," Hikaru said sadly, lowering the jacket from his eyesight, "this is really great. I really like it, a lot—no! Don't look like that, I love the jacket! It's something else—but…listen…"

Suddenly the irritating musical tone of the phone interrupted Hikaru's attempted explanation. Laying the jacket across the couch, Hikaru sauntered over and picked up the phone.

"Hello…what? No! It's Christmas…" Kaoru flinched as Hikaru glanced back at him with a pained expression. "I can't come in, not today…" On a whim, the brown-headed twin came up with an idea—he could get Kaoru a present when he was out, he couldn't be out too long, and who commits a serious felony on Christmas? His voice dropped to a whisper, "Fine. But I'm not staying long, you promised I'd get this day off." And without waiting for a proper goodbye Hikaru hung up on his boss. He turned around to meet the blank stare of his brother, who wasn't sure how to react to the thought of his brother ditching him on Christmas…

"I'm sorry Kaoru, I really am! But—come on please don't make that face,_ please_?—I'll barely be gone two hours! The night's still young, I'll be back before nine, I swear! Look!" he snatched his treasured present off the couch, throwing it on his long arms. "I'll even wear the jacket you made me…" he sighed at the empty stare his brother gave the carpet, obviously disappointed. He gripped his shoulders, looking him closely in their matching eyes begging forgiveness. "I'll be back soon." With a final, remorseful look and light hug, Hikaru left his brother.

Kaoru woke up on the twenty-sixth feeling terrible—he was hung over. After Hikaru left he attempted to drink himself stupid, and in his state that wasn't too difficult. Light flakes fell against his window, and he stared at the graceful white puffs as they fell to the ground, soon to melt away into nothing soon any way. A shine of red off his nightstand caught his attention, and with groggy motions Kaoru picked up the prettily wrapped gift off the table.

'_To My Otooto' _was written in thick careful letters across a Christmas-tree tag, and knowing exactly who it was from and feeling a wave of relief watch over him as Kaoru realized his brother hadn't forgotten about him, he ripped the gift open.

Inside a white box lay a sterling silver, oval shaped locket. Kaoru daintily pulled it from its velvet covered placing and held it with two fingers, the locket dangling and glinting off his gold eyes. On one side of the shiny locket the character for 'Little Brother' was engraved in the metal, giving it a sparkly look. Opening the locket Kaoru let a soft, content smile overcome his dreaded expression as a picture of the brothers smiling at each other met his eyes. He placed the necklace around his neck and tucked it under his shirt, not planning to take it off anytime soon.

*}V{*

_{March}_

"So how are things going for you, Kaoru?" Haruhi asked over the phone, after talking endlessly about how living with Tamaki was much like living with her father.

"Really well!" the twin answered, enjoying talking to someone when he was home alone most of the time—the host club had always kept in contact with each other, but the times they got together minimized as they all followed their different paths. "I like working at the café, and Hikaru really enjoys the police force."

"Oh, really?" Haruhi responded, a small silence hanging between the two for a moment. "So is Hikaru busy a lot, being a policeman?"

Kaoru took in a small breath, thinking about how to word his answer. "Yeah, I suppose he is, but he enjoys it at least."

"That's good…" The short haired brunette thought about Kaoru's tone for a moment, trying to process how the boy really felt—she was well aware that he had a record for smiling things off when he was upset. "Do you guys get to see each other a lot?"

"Well…" Kaoru cursed at himself. He was smart enough to know that of all people Haruhi was _not _going to buy any act he tried to sell. "Not really," he finally said hesitantly. "But that's ok, we're getting by, and Hikaru has the better paying job—I can't complain when he's willing to pay most of the bills." Haruhi frowned at the phone, aware that Kaoru couldn't see her disappointed look. She remembered a time in high school when the twins were fighting, and how bizarre both of them acted days after…

"You miss him?" she asked quietly.

"…Yes."

"…..Kaoru, would you like to come to tea sometime to talk?"

"…Thanks."

*}V{*

_{Mid-April}_

Hikaru snapped another picture of the scraggly girl that frowned across from him, her posture suggesting she was simply bored with the situation. She had deep chocolate eyes that looked fatigued and lifeless and coarse, dirty blonde hair that was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She wore nearly all denim, her jacket and jeans being made of both, with a tight fitting white t-shirt with mud stains splattered across the front.

"So…" Hikaru started, not enjoyed the pissed-off stare she kept giving him. "Prostitution, huh?"

The ID number she held in front of her sagged a little, and with an emotionless voice she answered, "Yeah, I'm a whore, if that's what you mean."

"Woah…" Hikaru said, taking his final picture of the girl. "Just trying to start a conversation, don't bite my head off." She sent a piercing glare towards the officer, not amused.

"I just don't find it fair," she muttered, not intending him to be listening to her. "I _had _to do this. I didn't _get _a choice."

The man cocked his head at her, a curious and mischievous glint in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

The prostitute shot her head up, surprised. With a dark scowl she stared at the ground again, not meeting the captivating golden eyes. "When you can't get a job, and are half starving, you would do a lot to get money."

Hikaru casually slid into the next question. "And why were you half starving?"

She paused again, narrowing her eyebrows deeper. "My parents disowned me," she finally looked up, brown eyes holding a malice look, though not directed toward Hikaru. "I didn't want the family business, and they didn't want me. It worked out fine."

Hikaru felt his heart drop when he heard the explanation; his brother and he didn't want the family business, but their parents supported them….but now this girl had to destroy her body to live, and her parents didn't care….

"What's your name?" he asked quietly, innocently.

"….Sada.*"

"…And how much would your bail be, Sada?"

*}V{*

Kaoru tripped as he ran to the door, the sound of the knock still ringing in his ears. "Hika! You're home—oh. Hello…"

There in front of Kaoru stood a very dirty-looking girl with denim attire, her thin and cracked hands wringing together with nervousness. "Heh…long time no see? Hey, you dyed your hair…" she noted, head turning to the side. Kaoru remained puzzled for a moment, staring at the girl for a while. Finally it clicked.

"Oh, you must be talking about my brother. Come in," he offered with a warm smile, gesturing inside his home. With tense eyes, the girl stepped in the small home. Kaoru studied her, clearly seeing her anxiousness. "Hikaru will be home soon, so don't worry," he comforted, "What's your name?" he asked kindly.

"Sada…" she responded, feeling oddly comfortable with this person.

"I'm Kaoru, Hikaru's twin brother. How _do_ you know Hikaru?"

"Uh…" she was questioning whether to tell Kaoru, or not. Finally she decided to, and with a smile she said "He paid my bail," with a hushed voice.

"Oh!" Kaoru said, his volume startling the girl. "Hikaru told me about you…" The boy had sweet eyes—not as vibrant as his brother's, but they captured you all the same. He paused a moment, remembering her story, "Have you talked to my brother much since then?"

"No…but…" she trailed off, not wanting to answer. Kaoru understood and led her to the couch, smiling encouragingly.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked, going into 'host' mode. She shook her head, a cracked smile meeting Kaoru's. He furrowed his eyes brows, curious about the girl.

She looked up, her stiff posture starting to relax into the soft couch. "You're the reason your brother joined the police force…" she stated.

Kaoru was taken aback. "Yeah, but how…?"

"He walked me home to the place I stay at…it's a complex with tiny rooms for people who don't have a home. Better than a park bench," she attempted to joke, skinny rose colored lips turning up in a smile. "You know he made me promise something."

Kaoru turned his head, enjoying the girls company. "What?"

"He said that if I stop destroying myself, he'd help me get a job…" she said, a genuine grin on her face. Kaoru swelled with pride for his brother, matching her calm smile.

"Is that what you're here about?"

The smile dropped, and she looked at the carpet quickly. "No."

Hearing the door creak open, both of their attentions were drawn to the entering form of Hikaru. He met the eyes of his brother and smile, but as he saw Sada sitting on the couch he became slightly concerned. "Sada? What are you doing here?" he asked, looking between the two sitting on the couch.

She pushed a smile again, standing up to meet Hikaru's eyes. "I wanted to say thank-you properly—I'm really grateful, you have no idea," at this point she met Kaoru's eyes, dark tree bark color bearing into his caramel ones. "But…I have a problem," she said, grateful grin dropping.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently.

She was quiet for a moment, not meeting anyone's eyes as she stared distantly at the carpet. She opened her mouth once, but shut it again, teeth digging into her lip. Finally, she spoke with a brave voice; "The last man I slept with lied about the condom he used. I'm…pregnant."

*}V{*

_{June 9__th__}_

Hikaru was ready to gnaw his lip off as he stood at the door to his brother's room, two slices of cake in his hand. He tasted copper as he finally felt the skin break between his teeth, and the rest of him was near shaking with apprehension. Finally, he pushed his elbow into the door to reveal his brother lying on the bed, his gaze directed at the corner with a blue expression. Hikaru mirrored his look, the guilt now slapping him across the face painfully as he realized how big he screwed up this time. Making his way in silence, he sat on the bed a few feet away from his brother.

"Hey…" he cooed, setting the plates of dessert on the bed. His copy looked back at him with a weak grimace; he couldn't bring himself to be really _mad _at his brother. Not on their birthday. The silence sat between the two like the dust particles that danced in a slim streak of sun; uncomfortable but becoming more common. "I got cake," Hikaru finally said, making his brother turn around fully to look at him.

He pushed himself up with his elbows, intimidatingly facing his brother and sitting with his knees to his chest, protectively wrapped in his arms. "You did," he stated.

"Your favorite kind…" Hikaru said in a singsong voice, picking up the plate and waving it in front of his brother. "Vanilla with tangerine icing and maple syrup…" Kaoru eyed the sweet dessert and then looked at his brother. Hikaru's eyes were drenched with apology, the guilt pouring out like a tsunami. After a moment between the two, the disappointed twin took the cake and set it beside him, looking at his brother with equally sad eyes.

"I'm not mad Hika…just a tad disappointed, is all," he explained, features shadowed. His curtains were open a fraction of an inch, yellow orange light trickling in and being the only thing that separated the brothers from each other and darkness. Hikaru lowered his gaze; his brother's understanding almost made him feel worse.

"Of course, you never get mad," he mumbled irritably. Kaoru looked down as well, hugging his knees like a lifeline. The two looked up at each other the same time, the elder speaking first. "I'm sorry. I'm _really really _sorry."

"I know, Hika. It's ok." Kaoru began to absentmindedly play with his locket. "You're home earlier than usual," he said, smiling at the sudden realization. His brother made an effort… "That's the best you can do, and I understand." Hikaru frowned at hearing this, _'the best he could do' _not good enough for himself.

"I'm still sorry."

"I forgive you, brother," he smiled, lightly punching his twin's shoulder. "Quit looking so sad, you're making it worse," he whispered. Hikaru attempted a smile back, snatching his brother's hand a squeezing it. Tired of feeling so dejected, Kaoru tried to change the subject. "How's Sada doing?" he asked quietly.

Keeping their fingers intertwined, Hikaru let his sad demeanor drop slightly. "Fine. I'll get lunch with her sometimes, and we'll talk about what to do with the baby. She finally found a job," he explained, brightening up.

Kaoru grinned, eyes sparking. "Good! She'll come over occasionally, and we'll have tea and talk," he chuckled, raising a hand to his mouth, "It reminds me of the host club a little."

"Yeah, me too…"

This time there was a comfortable calm that lingered between the two as the orange hued room lost most of its warm light as the sun fell behind the horizon.

"Hey Kao?" Hikaru asked, interrupting the peace.

"Yeah?"

"Miss you." The grip on his little brother's hand visibly tightened, trying to keep the pale and icy hand warm.

Kaoru squeezed back. "Miss you too."

*}V{*

{August}

"So what are you going to name the baby, Sada?" Hikaru asked as the pair strolled contently through the park, cherry blossom petals falling around them like little tornados and contrasting greatly with the bright baby blue back ground. The teen girl smiled, rubbing her small baby bump with a mother's glow radiating brighter than the sun that smiled on their backs.

"I haven't thought about it. Don't want to, not until I see him."

"Him? How do you know?" Hikaru asked, amused.

"Just do," she shrugged, "I'll know what to name him as I see him. It'll come to me."

Hikaru offered her a grin, sticking his fists in his pockets. "I like that…" he muttered.

"So how's Kaoru?" she asked innocently, glancing at Hikaru for a moment.

The policeman frowned, sighing. "I don't know, and that bothers me. I rarely get to see him…" Sada cocked her head, narrowing her eyes. "Bless the host club, spending their days off with him for me…"

"I'm sure he understands, Hikaru," Sada tried to comfort, smoldering eyes gentle.

"I hope you're right…"

*}V{*

{October}

"How could you forget to tell me something like that Hikaru?" Kaoru demanded over the phone, angrier than usual.

"I'm sorry, Ok? It slipped my mind, the department's been damn crazy with this serial killer running about…" he answered agitatedly, voice none so gentle or remorseful.

"Haruhi and Tamaki got engaged months ago, and they called _you, _told you to tell _me, _and you forgot?" Kaoru shot back, upset.

_"I'm sorry. _I said it fifty times, you know now, there!" he snarled, into the phone, trying to avoid the peculiar looks shot his way. "The weddings in April, try to make it."

"_You're _telling _me _to _try to make it? _You couldn't even make _our _birthday Hikaru, _ours! _It's still _ours _even if you're there or not!" he hissed, immediately regretting it.

A deep muteness was heard over the phone, Hikaru's shallow breathing the only audible sound. "You said you forgave me for that."

"And I do," Kaoru tried to explain, voice calming slightly, "but when you say shit like that to me with all the things you've missed in the past year, I'm gonna get a little upset."

Hikaru contemplated what to say back. "Whatever, Kaoru. I'm sorry. About everything, Ok? I'm a bad brother, I get it. See you later."

Kaoru felt panic sprint through his chest at the horrid tone Hikaru used with him. He felt guilty. "Wait! Hika—"

_Click_

*}V{*

_{December}_

Kaoru wondered why Hikaru doubled checked that Kaoru locked the doors when he was home alone. He wondered why Hikaru was always calling more, always getting nervous when Kaoru walked outside alone to his job or on his way home. And now he knew.

Hikaru caught the man himself, which scared the hell out of Kaoru—his brother taking on a crazed serial killer by himself.

He now watched the trial online, seeing Hikaru in the background ready to escort the man back to his cell when the time came. He bit his knuckles as the judge read the verdict and kept his eyes on the accused the entire time; the man was sentenced to death. Another man in the room shot up from his seat and slammed a fist against the bench in front of him, stalking out with a murderous look in his eyes and slamming the door shut behind him. Kaoru let out a relieved breath, knowing that Hikaru and Sada would be just a bit safer on the streets now.

*}V{*

_{January 8th}_

Hikaru had a long day at work. His head was throbbing and his muscles felt strained and weak. He let out a long breath and ran a hand down his face, trying to get his eyes to focus on the blackened streets—the only light provided was the soft white glow coming from the street lights and still hanging Christmas lights. There was a blizzard; a crazy blizzard. It was hard to focus with white dots running past your vision and fogging the area in front of you. It was nearing seven in the evening, the moon already shining brightly ahead and matching the luminosity from the snow. Hikaru considered himself lucky, however. Because of the crazy blizzard, he could come home early.

He let out a relieved sigh as he pulled onto the side of the street in front of his apartment. Hoping his brother would still be awake this time, he inserted the rusted key to his door with chapped hands and shoved it open, the warmth from inside his home washing over him welcomingly. The brunette shut the door softly, sighing and taking off his jacket.

"Kaoru! I'm home early!" he called, sounding slightly chipper compared his previous mood. He started his way into the kitchen, not noticing how all the lights were off, creating a foreboding grey hue that lazily drifted off the lilac walls. He rubbed the back of his neck, stepping into the kitchen. "Kaoru? Where—" He froze, feeling his veins freeze over and heart pound against his chest violently.

In the kitchen stood Kaoru—over Kaoru loomed a man that could be compared to a mountain. Dark shadows under his eyes and gruff facial hair framing his face. His beefy hand was clamped over his twin's neck, who was struggling against the painful hold. Tears were in his baby brother's eyes as he saw Hikaru walk through the hallway, and he thrashed harder against the fat arm that held him down. Hikaru felt his heart shatter as he saw the menacing gleam of a gun shoved to Kaoru's temple. The voice, however, did not match the man. It was husky, deep, but masqueraded timidness that Hikaru at the time was unable to catch.

"Talk, or make any sudden movements, and I'll blast a hole through his head."

**A/N: THAT WAS SO LONG. Sorry! Hopefully it was good, though, yes? Sorry about the last two paragraphs, I'm terrible with hostage situations….wow never thought I'd say that XD Next chapter will be the complete dive into the plot, and everything will come together! After that, I'll explain what the story will mainly be about. PLEASE tell me what you think! God bless :) **

*believe it or not, _Sada _is a bit of an oxymoron. It means 'pure one' in Japanese. Any OC's (and there aren't many) names will have a deeper meaning, which I'll be sure to tell you. And don't worry all you HikaKao fans, Sada will _not _be anyone's love interest.


	3. The Chrysalis

**A/N: Final beginner chapter, and then all will be revealed! This is going to be DEFINETLY the hardest chapter for me to write, but here I go anyway…**

_**3**_

_**The Chrysalis**_

Saying Hikaru was horrified would be an understatement. Kaoru wriggled more against the hold of his attacker. The two twins eyed each other from across the kitchen: the stranger's eyes were empty and dark as they mercilessly stared at the boy who had innocently strolled into his own kitchen, while said innocent boy's orbs were wide with a fickle sense of foreboding that kept pounding against his head louder than the irritating hum of his heartbeat.

He took into account that he still had a gun strapped to his belt. He noticed fact that the man clearly _wanted _something from that deranged hungry look in his eyes. He observed that there was a very clear shot of the older stranger's head—and how close the other gun was to his brother's. Hikaru knew he had to ignore the fact that it was his brother in danger this time; he had to act like the way he was trained to handle this situation, not the way he wanted to.

Those wants would be, predictably, blowing the man's brains out as he held his baby brother in his arms.

Taking a deep inhale Hikaru let all the fear flit out of his expression and composed himself, holding his hands in the air unthreateningly and backing up a quarter of an inch. The man had wide palms, but skinny fingers that held tightly onto Kaoru's thin neck, making the older twin flinch. Kaoru whimpered, knowing better than to say anything, and Hikaru did his best to shoot him a look telling him everything was going to be alright. A sudden thought had Hikaru restrained to hold his terrified look back again—_how long had this man been here?_

"Ok…" Hikaru eased, "Ok…" he gulped, glancing between his brother and the man real quick, "just…tell me what you want, you can have it, and then you'll be on your way…" The man clenched his teeth together violently, looking at Hikaru's hip. Squeezing Kaoru's neck a little tighter, he gestured toward the other twin's hip with his head.

"Gun," he demanded with a soft malicious tone. Hikaru nodded, taking the gun out of the strap and holding it between his thumb and index finger. Kaoru squeaked, making Hikaru's eyes dart to him and his posture tense up, ready to jump in, if he needed to.

All the foreigner had to do was huff irritably and all attention was back on him. "Now put it on the ground and slide it to me," he said with a voice like sandpaper. Hikaru did as told, grimacing as the gun slid across the kitchen tile and landed promptly under the man's foot. Faint hoary light poured its way through the iced window and landed on his brother and the man; Hikaru noted with bafflement the faded tattoo of two dragons making their way up the man's arm.

"Alright," Hikaru tried again, "now what do you want?" His voice was a firm and understanding sound, trying to avoid provoking the man.

The intruder was silent for a moment, staring down at Hikaru with austere eyes that seemed to go on forever—it made him wonder if they were a black hole. The man let his thin and cracked lips climb up into a foul sneer that made Hikaru want to vomit.

"This is _your_ entire fault."

Hikaru froze his trembling body, becoming as rigid as a board. He remembered turning someone in recently…with a similar tattoo…damn his bad memory…

"What the hell do you mean?" Hikaru mumbled breathily, moving the dust particles around as he spoke. The intruder visibly tightened his arm around Kaoru's neck, getting a choking reaction. Hikaru's brightly glowing orbs darted to his brother. Worry collecting in pools along with his tears. The man bit his lip—hard. Suddenly his body began trembling angrily and Hikaru could see the shine of unshed cries collect under his black eyes; he took a watery breath and snarled at Hikaru.

"_Your _fault, this is all _your _damn fault!" he repeated over and over, the last of his words becoming barely audible. Kaoru threw his brother a terror-filled, questioning look. Surely his brother wouldn't do anything he knew would put him in this kind of danger—surely…

Hikaru slowly shook his head at the younger, just as confused as him, if not more. Hikaru tried his best to focus on the man, and never broke eye contact, which was typically easier when you felt nothing toward the hostage. But every time he heard one whimper Hikaru shot a look at his brother, ruining any connections he had just made with this beast.

Hikaru forced his senses back together, digging his nails into his raised palms to fight off any urges. "L-listen, alright? Just listen…" Hikaru tried to reason, voice not as confident as he wished it to be. The man tightened his hold more, keeping a firm glare on Hikaru. "I don't know what you're talking about, but whatever it is I'll fix it, okay? Do you need money? My family has plenty; you can have as much as you want…" Hikaru hurried to come up with any other reasons his brother would be held at gunpoint right now, but to no avail. He let out a nervous sigh, the gold of his eyes full of feeling and compassion. "Just tell me what you want."

The man gritted his teeth in an unpleasant way, looking angrier than before. "I want you to feel the same pain I do," he growled, spit flying out from his clenched teeth. Kaoru flinched; Hikaru bit his lip in an attempt _not _to break eye contact again, and cocked his head in question.

"What do you mean?" he asked again.

The man's breath had become heavy and ragged, like that of a crazed dog's. His ebony eyes twinkled with a bizarre satisfaction that made both twins shiver. He let out a dark snort that rumbled his chest and frightened the younger distressed twin. "I had _no _idea you had a brother…I got lucky," he hissed, Hikaru's eyes widening. "Which one's younger, hm? I'm guessing this little shit," he said, shaking Kaoru and making the poor boy cry out. Hikaru took a sharp inhalation, shouting at him to stop. Immediately his hands flew to his mouth, realizing that he had just provoked the man more. The stranger "oo'ed", looking between the two. "Lucky break, then. Now you feel exactly as I do."

Hikaru tried to catch his breath, but found the air in the room strangely stuffy and unavailable. "Please, just explain what you want, and you can have it!"

The man barked out a laugh, rolling his eyes. "I already told you!" Hikaru gave him a look that begged for further explanation. The man once again put a pained, despairing look on his scrawny, rat shaped face that turned red from the anger. "My baby brother is going to _die _because of you—you turned him in, and now he's going to _die." _

Hikaru racked his brain, and finally everything connected. That crazed serial killer—he had an identical tattoo to the man's; he had received the death sentence, the only one Hikaru had ever been involved in.

"Your brother killed innocent people," was his immediate response, but instantly bit his tongue back in fear of making the man angrier.

The monster's mouth dropped open, staring at the officer in disbelief. His face once again contorted into the devil's—infrared, furious, malicious—and his teeth grounded together hard enough for Hikaru to hear the bones graze against each other. "And now you'll feel the same pain I do-!" The man's gun clicked…

"_STOP!" _

Hikaru's outburst was so full of various emotions that stranger halted his actions. Kaoru gave his brother an alarmed and scared look, his body now trembling violently as he had just dodged a bullet to the brain.

"How on _earth_ is this making me feel your pain?"

The question stunned both Kaoru and the intruder—he didn't mean what they thought he meant right?

"You don't care for your sibling?"

At Kaoru's broken look Hikaru hurried his reply. "No! That's not what I meant—," he kept his eyes locked with his brother's the entire time "—let me rephrase. Why do you want me to feel _your _pain?" The beast of a man began to tremble slightly, confused. "Think! Think about what I'm putting your brother through! You're little brother that you're supposed to protect, and then some jack-ass like me comes along and puts him through this—don't you want me to feel the same thing _he_ does?" Hikaru blurted out quickly, pulling all of those lines practically out of his butt. Kaoru's caramel irises widened a fraction and the oxygen he heavily tried to breathe in stuck like glue to his throat, realizing what his brother was trying to do.

Hikaru gave his twin an apologetic look, the emotion swirling in his matching eyes like little whirlpools. "N-now why would you want me to feel _your _pain? What about what your baby brother is feeling?" He continued the provocation, seeing the man start to dissolve what he was really saying.

"You're right…" he heard a little whisper.

"I am!" Hikaru agreed, trying to keep the man on the same page as he. "How selfish—surely your precious baby brother is feeling more pain than you, and you want me to feel _your _pain? I'd be getting off easy…"

"Hika—stop!" Kaoru choked out, reaching out a shaky hand towards his twin. His innocent eyes begged for him to sojourn; Hikaru cringed at the amount of sentiment his brother was emitting towards him. However, Kaoru was immediately silenced by the burly arm crushing his windpipe, earning a gagging sound. Hikaru shot him a stern glare—'_don't say a word.'_

The man stared between the two, face scrunched up in deep consideration. His forehead appeared like wrinkled leather, puffy exhausted eyes squinted together and fat, colorless lips parted slightly, dumbly. His breathing was ragged and he shook Kaoru every time a deep intake of oxygen slid down his throat. The brothers shared a deep look—the older of the two mouthed a genuine '_sorry'_, making the other choke back on his scared tears.

The man looked down at the terrified boy with his never-ending eyes, and Kaoru gagged on another sob. He tightened his grip as his eyes narrowed and lips pressed together roughly in determination.

Kaoru was thrown like a rag doll to the floor before Hikaru could react—the next time Kaoru could look up, the barrel of a gun was staring his older brother in the face. The gun clicked, the convict's finger twitched on the trigger.

_"This is your fault…"_

Hikaru tensed and shut his eyes tight, preparing for the blast.

"_NO!"_

The sound of a gunshot vibrated throughout the usually dull, quaint home. Glass shattered somewhere near, dust from the drywall being blown in swirled around the trio. Shaking madly, Hikaru slowly opened his eyes.

He could faintly see the stranger, who stood there with his murky eyes wide. Hikaru felt his side, missing something, a breath rapidly caught in his throat with a new stab of agony that he had not expected to feel. He was staring straight at the back of the head of a familiar ginger—one that was not there five seconds ago.

Before anyone could process what had happened, the intruder sped out of the house and ran down the street, snow falling mercilessly around him and stinging his burning cheeks.

The Hitachiins home was now filled with an unbearable silence—eerie and desolate. Salty tears intruded the eldest eyes' as he reached out a quivering hand to touch his beloved counterpart. Gentle, scared hands turned the younger around, so that they now faced each other eye-to-eye. Hikaru refused to look down; they kept their gazes locked on their mirrored eyes and only that.

"Kao?"

He struggled to get a word out—he appeared to be choking on his spit. As he opened his mouth sticky, scarlet blood shot out like a geyser. Hikaru struggled to gulp down his spit, his skinny fingers making crescent moon shapes on his brother's shoulders. He let out a short whine and sniveled out his baby brother's name again, but in turn more of the red liquid dribbled down Kaoru's chin, staining the purity of the bleached room. Hikaru clutched his twin to his chest, holding the limp head to his shoulder, and let out an agonized sob as both of their legs gave up and they fell to the crimson-stained floor, blood smearing onto their legs.

Gathering the still, but barely breathing body into his arms, the older brother cradled his baby brother in his lap softly; afraid to do any sudden movements that would shatter him. He lightly grazed the pad of his fingers along the bullet wound, just a tad below his beloved heart. Staring at his fingers in horror Hikaru let out another moan as his pale skin was now as darkly colored as a rose that bloomed in the heat of summer. Kaoru mustered all of his strength to bring a freezing hand to Hikaru's cheek, wanting to comfort him. Hikaru let out a silent cry at the coldness of the hand, grasping it tightly in an attempt to warm it.

"Kao…" he muttered, looking him straight in his golden eyes, refusing to see the blood that collected around the pair. The redheaded twin tried to speak, opening and closing his mouth in a pitiful attempt to make a sound; Hikaru hummed a whine, placing his fingers gently on the garnet blemished lips. "Hush…shh…" he rocked him once, "everything's gonna be okay, Kaoru, alright? I-I'm gonna get you fixed, okay?" Tears began to weld in his eyes, a few falling on Kaoru's white hued cheek that could put shame to the snow outside.

"Hush, Otooto, shush, it's okay, it's _okay…" _he repeated constantly, trying to convince himself of it. Kaoru managed to obstruct out Hikaru's name, making the older twin blurt out another sob. The matching golden eyes began to flutter close, but Hikaru would have _none _of it. He put a hand to his brother's cheek and ran his thumb along his baby brother's damp eyelashes, making them open once again. "Don't even _dare _close your eyes, Kaoru, you _can't _close your eyes!" he shouted, rocking them both back and forth slightly once again.

Kaoru whimpered, translucent tears mixing with his thick red blood. "But—I'm _sleepy," _he whined, breaking his brother's heart into a million pieces and setting them aflame. Hikaru ceased his rocking, touching foreheads with his brother and nuzzling their noses together, forgetting the rules of society and abruptly becoming the guiltless children they once were. Kaoru squeaked, the smell of copper filling Hikaru's nose.

Their tears mixed together with Kaoru's blood, putting off and forgetting the inevitable that, as children, they were once unaware of. Everything was innocent for a second time. They could run through the garden once again, being anything they wanted to be, playing a game of masquerade with the outside world of _them. _Their laughter rang like bells as the sun smiled a pink glow in the garden, contradicting against the vibrant flowers that dozed peacefully. Finally one twin caught the other, erupting into a fit of giggles that made their mother smile—before the clouds darkened and the gray killed off all of the flowers and the only thing left in the garden was a dead rose, wrinkled and crying, a dead butterfly laying lifelessly beside it.

The cold touched Hikaru's cheek again, bringing the sparkling eyes to meet each other again. Kaoru offered a weak, chapped smile that was as dead as the cherry blossom trees that faced the winter outside. Hikaru never broke the contact, the reassurance that his brother was still there, gingerly rubbing his mirror's cheek with his thumb in swirling motions. Kaoru whined again quietly, bringing his ghostly pale hand round the back of Hikaru's head, using every last bit of strength to lift himself up to his brother's ear.

"_Everything happens for a reason, brother._ _I love you, onii-san."_

Hikaru sobbed, nuzzling into his brother's neck. He went to look in his eyes again, grazing their foreheads against each other.

"I lo—"

But the contact was broken; the last petal had fallen, shielding the dead butterfly from the harmful elements.

Kaoru's head hung limply in Hikaru's arm, the red hair dusting across the floor and coating in his blood like a paint-brush's tip. The room was thick with a sickly dead-air that fit the home uncharacteristically; it was uncomfortable, torturous. Hikaru stared at the white face, tears unknowingly streaming down his cheeks uncontrollably, splotches of red strewed across his cheeks.

"K-kao?" he whispered, "Hey—wake up, buddy, come on," he cooed as if to a baby. Ever so gently he slipped a hand behind Kaoru's head, lifting the dead weight up to cradle it back into the crook of his arm. He cooed to him again, rocking him back and forth like you would with a crying child; he laid his lips on the stony forehead, not kissing, but letting them sit there for a moment. Bringing an ear to the ruby patched lips, every source of oxygen left his lungs and it seemed as if his own heart had halted. He squeezed the body tighter, tighter more, protecting it from _them—_refusing to let _them _have _him._

His voice quaked as tears splashed across the papered cheeks, "No…"

A long, anguished cry pierced the peaceful winter air as the neighbors dialed the authorities, reporting recent heard gunshots.

*}V{*

She had debated about this over and over again in her head—the wind just had to rip across her skin one more time and she finalized her answer; Sada decided to go to the Hitachiin house and ask to spend the night. She was miles away from the home still, and this damn weather made the little life inside her shift and whine.

Rubbing the bulging belly soothingly while humming words of affection to the babe, Sada was more than surprised to be blinded by flashing candy-blue and red lights outside of the usually calm home. She paused, gaping a little, before sprinting as quickly as a pregnant woman could up to the crowded door way.

Policemen tried to stop the dirty girl with scraggly yellow hair, but hell, when you get in a pregnant woman's way, _move._

She stumbled through the door, barely catching herself on the frame. Immediately the smell of rusted metal stabbed her nose and she recoiled back from displeasure. Maternal instincts screaming at the soon to be mother, she dazedly made her way to the extremely crowded kitchen, full of men dressed in white and blue, all barking orders at each other and examining the room—though she couldn't see why.

But her focus was on something—someone—else entirely. In the desolate corner of the kitchen, where the cabinets met, a familiar brunette was screeching at the top of his lungs at the men who invaded his home; he was being held back by a young, lean man with dark hair that looked as black as night, silver glasses glinting off the light in the room. His face refused to bare any emotion, but Sada could tell by the way his muscles were tightened that he was holding back _something, _as he let the crazed nineteen year old beat on him and shout profanities at the world.

She gaped at the scene for a moment, feeling a horrible sense of dread build inside her, before finally shoving the strangers out of the way and defiantly walking her way toward Hikaru, who was yelling at the men to stop…whatever they were doing…

"Hikaru, what's wrong?" she asked, or shouted, but the teen didn't hear any of it. He hysterically clawed at the man holding him back, tears running down his red cheeks in an unattractive way—he was genuinely _crying. _Not the pretty tears that gracefully fall down your face, only leaving a blotchy scarlet path in their wake, this was snot running into their mouth, tears a never ending river with sobs that failed to cease despite the person's strength crying. Weeping, by definition.

"Hikaru, stop!" she cried, reaching out her quaking hands to try to still the boy, but for some reason he wept harder, eyes dilating for a moment, recalling a memory, before his body gave up on him and he fell to the ground a sniveling mess of salty water and snot. He curled into himself, burrowing himself on the floor and muttering incomprehensible sayings. Sada was horrified; she directed her alarmed chocolate eyes toward the man with dark hair, begging for answers. He was silent, his eyes masked by the glare in his glasses. He beckoned to the girl with his head, leading her into a more quiet area of the room, where no one could bother them. She followed without hesitation as another man in white came to put a blanket around the brunette, trying to bring him to his senses.

Sada took one more look at Hikaru, then at the man. He sighed, looking at the ground for a moment. A shaking hand rose to take off his glasses, wiping them off on his ivory-toned shirt. He had dark, twinkling eyes that were the color of black coffee—they looked so tired…

"You know the twins?" he said; his voice was charming, and wise. She stuttered a yes, captivated by the man's pale skin and droopy eyes. "How?" he demanded.

"I-I'm…" she stumbled over her words, extremely shy when it came to new people—like how she had acted towards Kaoru. "I'm Sada, Hikaru helped pay my bail."

The man was quiet for a moment, processing. "Yes…" he finally muttered, voice hollow; filled with old cobwebs, it seemed. "The twins have mentioned something about you."

"What happened?" she demanded, voice gaining a sudden scared confidence.

The raven-haired boy hastily slid his glasses back on, visibly gulping before going into a quick, emotionless explanation. He coughed once, "One of the Hitachiin boys was shot tonight—and judging from earlier I suppose you know who…" Sada's eyes turned the size of saucers, breath catching in her throat; absentmindedly she started to rub her tummy. "He…he…" another quick cough, "He was gone when we arrived—it was nearly impossible to peel him away from his brother…" he added as an afterthought. Sada could hear her heart beating against her ribcage; she could feel the tiny babe inside her shift and press closer in his mother's stomach. She clutched at her bump, body quivering.

"W-what?"

The man was getting frustrated now, shooting a glare at the girl. When she recoiled he instantly softened his gaze, ashamed of himself. He bit his white, chapped lip with his teeth, taking in a timid breath. "J-just…that's all we know for now," he explained, "Hikaru needs someone right now."

Sada's head shot up at the sudden statement, before nodding in understanding. Defiantly she strode towards the boy, now cocooned in a blanket and sitting on the white couch silently. She sat beside him, staring ahead, and wordlessly put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't react, his intense gaze focused on the wall in front of him as the men behind the two bustled about, taking fingerprints, cleaning up blood…

"Hikaru." Her voice was plush-covered. "I'm sorry."

A twitch.

"I—don't know what to say, Hikaru," she continued, not looking at the boy but keeping a warm hand on his shoulder. You could hear lips making tiny smacking sounds as she opened and closed her mouth, thinking deeply before she spoke. "He was a really good person. I loved having little chats with him…" Her pink lips stretched into a tiny smile. "And he _adored _his brother." This earned a miniscule, wet whine. "You were such a good brother, from the sounds of it. Don't give me that look, I'm sorry to say that I'm _not_ going to combust into flames. He loved you, Hikaru. Don't-don't blame yourself—that would destroy him."

Hikaru's sniveling turned into hushed, barely audible growls. He glared bitterly at the carpeted floor, teeth clenched and face livid. "Not like that fucking matters anymore—_my brother is dead."_

Sada felt something inside her break—_literally._

"Hikaru…"

Angry tears now streamed down the boy's face as he clutched the blanket to his face. "Don't even try to comfort me, _none_ ofyou know how it even feels!" His face fell to his hands as another sob racked his body. "The way he reached out to me…he was so scared…and I let him _die." _His voice was laced with the venom of a cobra, each word dripping with lethal toxins.

Sada, panic stricken, took Hikaru by the shoulders, angry eyes meeting fearful ones. The terror in her eyes—eyes he just realized were _so _much like his own—made his breath stop. They were so familiar, the fear in them. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

She visibly gulped, lifting her chin as tears came to her eyes. "My water broke." She choked at her attempted breath. "Hikaru—my water broke!"

His golden liquid eyes widened. "W-what?" Hikaru looked down, seeing a wet stain on the couch. "Oh God—Kyouya!" Suddenly the man with the ebony hair appeared by the boy's side, placing a slender hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Her-her water broke! We have to get her to a hospital!" the boy panicked, gripping Kyouya's shirt.

Kyoya's eyes now matched Hikaru's; he looked at the couch, then back at the girl with the bulging belly. "We'll take my car."

*}V{*

Hikaru was left alone in the waiting room, the fuzzy blanket still wrapped around him. Bypassing people stared at him, slightly concerned, before dismissing him entirely. His brittle colored eyes stared at the tile floor, glistening. His expression was emotionless, usually rose-colored lips pale and tugged down into an ugly frown. His thumb absentmindedly kept rubbing circles onto his fist, the image of his baby brother's scared, tear-filled eyes and shaking hand reaching out to him popping into his mind occasionally.

Finally a man in white came out to him, speaking in a muffled, official tone. "You need to come to the room, for a moment." Hikaru followed him without question.

The room smelled extremely like latex, everything a blindingly, unpleasant white color that made the teen cringe. A few other doctors and nurses in the room turned to him, eyes looking downcast quickly. He cocked his head.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

Another man in white came up to him, obviously the actual doctor, pulling him to a corner of the room. "You are Hitachiin Hikaru, yes?" Hikaru nodded, glancing at a beaten looking Sada on a bleached bed. The doctor sighed, looking down for a moment. "Hikaru—I'm so sorry to tell you this." His breathing stopped. "Sada isn't likely to make it through this." Hikaru's head shot up in sudden attention, staring at the man with hard eyes that could crush.

"What do you mean?"

Another pitiful sigh. "She's not healthy…I've heard a little of her background from the youngest Ootori, and she's just beaten herself up to much—the baby's early, nearly a month maybe over, I'll be surprised if he makes it," the doctor finished, sympathy making needle-work with his voice and expression. "I understood you two were somewhat friends…I'm sorry." The man took a quick glance at the girl. "You can talk to her for a moment, but then you have to go," his tone dropped to a whisper, "She is aware of the circumstances." Then he left without another word.

Hikaru just glowered at the distance for a moment, before slowly making his way to Sada. His voice was raspy, weak. "Sada."

The wrinkled eyelids slowly slid open, revealing glistening tea colored eyes. The heart monitor beeped in the background like a bomb ready to blow, Sada's heavy breathing matching every other beep. They stared at each other for a fraction of the second before the mother spoke, fear noticeable in her small voice. "Hikaru—I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Silence. "I'm—not sure…"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Hikaru."

Beep.

"Please…" On a whim her pretty eyes that could make any girl envious filled with sparkling water, her voice finally coming apart and her fatigued features pulling down unattractively. "_Please…take care of the baby…"_

Hikaru felt like he had been kicked in the gut, all of the oxygen leaving his body. "What?"

Her eyes were like dirty icicles—sharp, gold, and glittering—staring hard at him with an overflowing wave of emotions that screeched at him like a crying baby. "You have to, _you have to!" _The heart monitor started to speed up, alarming the doctors slightly. "Hikaru—you don't understand, like how I will never understand how you feel about your brother's death—this is my _baby, _please, _please—_I understand we aren't close," her voice came out wet with tears that now sped down her face as she gagged back her cries, "but you are the only who can even come close to _understanding, _Hikaru." She snatched at the boy's hand, who was looking at the girl in horror as he watched her erode away. Eyes big, mouth slightly ajar, his cheeks a sickly pale tone. "I'm begging you—_please," _she rubbed the clenched hand, "_please, you have to raise my baby. You have to promise." _

The monitor was beeping at vast rate now, and the doctor's had enough. They came behind Hikaru, touching his shoulders and trying to escort him out of the room. Sada kept pleading to him, water streaming down her face and staining the sheets that covered her body. Hikaru took a wet gulp, looking at her with sympathetic, empty eyes.

"I promise."

*}V{*

His head hung over the back of the chair, once again in the dull waiting room, now surrounded in a warm glow due to the fact it was just a few minutes past midnight. His eyes were closed, as if sleeping, body moving in a rhythmic pattern with his breathing. The ticking of a clock echoed in the room, breathing matching every other damn tick. There was some sort of unpleasant, old smell fogging up the room, and it was too cool for comfort. Then steps. Even strides that had some purpose, reaching closer and closer to the boy whose brown hair blended into the darkness before coming to a halt. The caramel eyes forced themselves open unwillingly, and Hikaru turned his lifeless face towards Kyouya.

The somber man nodded, and Hikaru understood. He blinked a slow blink in response, the ticking seemed to have ceased. Kyouya pressed his lips together, dark brown eyes masked by his glasses.

"Hikaru," he whispered, "There's something you need to see. And I want to prepare you for it—you may not react well."

"I understand Sada didn't make it, Kyouya. The baby die too?" he asked with an icy voice.

"No, Hikaru. But it is the baby." Hikaru turned a questioning look towards his friend, eyebrows deeply scrunched together.

"Hikaru," he repeated, voice a thin strip of silk, "I want to say I've never ruled out the impossible, and my assumptions have never been wrong."

Hikaru followed his mysterious friend down the darkened, shadowed hallway, coming to the nursery where a new born baby, born at midnight, slept peacefully, tiny chest moving up and down gracefully.

He couldn't breathe. The floor was falling, it had to be. Something was crushing it. It hurt.

A light cover of bright orange hair was on the baby's head, sprawled out against the mattress of the crib.

His skin was so pale, his fist lightly touching the pink lips that ghosted breaths over his knuckles.

The baby, sensing something, squeaked a whine, opening his eyes and peering at the two men watching him.

The eyes were beautiful—a rich honey color that flickered in the small amount of light. The ochroid irises focused on the new figure—the odd man shaking, hands pressed to the glass and water collecting in his eyes.

But the name on the little slip of paper, hanging off the crib mockingly…

_"Just do," she shrugged, "I'll know what to name him as I see him. It'll come to me." _

_ Hitachiin Chouko*, Kaoru_

His knees collapsed, bruising against the hard ground. A loud cry left his screaming mouth, cloaked by the clamorous non-existing ticking of a clock. He clutched at his ashy hair, curling in on himself onto the merciless ground. The black-haired man kept his eyes on the baby, judging it. Then he looked at the boy on the ground. A hand the boy's shoulder, distant and timid-and then walked away.

In the crib sat an innocent baby, eyes wide with wonder and fist held up to his rosy cheeks. So tiny, barely above three pounds; skin the color of the snow that swirled around outside. He thought nothing of his red hair, his wheat-colored eyes. He was ignorant, everything was innocent to him.

An exact copy of Hitachiin, Kaoru.

**A/N: SORRY FOR THE LONG WAITED UPDATE! Man this is long…this was such a pain to write . PLEASE tell me what you think, especially of the writing. I was going for a new style, but I'm afraid it may be too bombast.**

**Now for my author rant concerning the rest of the story! :D**

**The rest of the story will be just a number of accounts of Hikaru raising this baby—there will be a slight back plot, but with raising a child (especially with the circumstances…) so much could happen. Each chapter will be named concerning 'new' Kaoru's age (ex, Three Years, Nine Months). There will be fluff, humor, angst, and everything in between. There will be a couple more chapters with some angst, but soon the story will start to take a dive of the hardships but extraordinary journey it takes to raise a child. This story can go on for so many chapters, (I'm planning on writing this until little Kaoru is sixteen, between three, heck maybe ten chapters per year), but in the end everything will come together. Hope you're still interested :)**

**Thanks for the read, please review and give me your opinion, or if you have any questions :) **

*****Chouko literally means, "Butterfly Child". I know in Japan a middle name isn't common, but I accidently found this and couldn't help it...

**God bless***


	4. Butterfly: 6 Days

**A/N: This chapter will certainly not be as long as the others. Definitely. Surely. Maybe. Yeah…**

**Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill (O-M-Fudging-Gosh I just said Y'all…)**

**The Butterfly: 6 Days**

**_January 15, 2012_**

The apartment was dimly lit—to keep the baby's eyes from harm. There were no loud sounds; the thermostat was set warmer than it usually would be; all to keep the baby comfortable. Bottles lined the sink. There were burp rags strewed throughout the house, thermal blankets lined the couches, and Haruhi was having a heck of a time trying to clean the stupid baby bottle she had just used.

The silence was interrupted as the door to the Hitachiin's home was slowly opened. Keys rattled as they were set down on the small table by the door, shoes were kicked off, and the hall now echoed with the slow zombie-like footsteps of Hikaru. Haruhi looked up at him with her big bug-eyes, trying to process the blank expression on his face.

Hikaru came into the kitchen, silently noting Haruhi before going to make himself a cup of—he didn't care, as long as it had _caffeine. _The aged circles around his eyes begged for something energy bursting, that, and sleep. The yearnings made him feel selfish—why, you ask? Well, he hasn't done much except sit up in bed all night; Tamaki and Haruhi have been staying with him, taking care of the baby as he went through this soul-less, automatic crisis. That's why they were at his house, and not the funeral…

The silence had to be broken, Haruhi determined. It was extremely unpleasant.

"How was the funeral?" she whispered, feeling that she had to keep quiet for some reason. _'Stupid question, you idiot…'_

Hikaru moved his lips a little, appearing to be gnawing on the inside of his mouth, before licking his dry lips and replying, "Like any other funeral." He gave up on his coffee, turning around and leaning his back on the counter.

Quiet.

"Where's the baby?" His question startled Haruhi.

She took a quick gulp, wringing a towel together between her hands. She did her best to keep a normal toned voice, and she did very well. "Sleeping—I fed him just before he fell asleep, he's in his crib right now."

Hikaru moved his head around the corner to peer down the long hallway. It was dark, and he could only see the very faint outline of objects, but he knew of the boxes that lined the walls of the hall, and could see the faint greenish glow coming from the slightly ajar door of the baby's room—it once was the door to what Hikaru and Kaoru called 'the junk room'. Hence the boxes that now lined the walls. Kaoru came up with the name. Hikaru just smiled and agreed to dump his unwanted things in there.

"Tamaki moved the stuff, for you," Haruhi interrupted his thoughts, Hikaru's orchid eyes settling back on her, "In the baby's room, I mean. It was cluttered; kind of annoyed him," she scratched at her arm sheepishly, "but it looks kind of nice now. The crib is in the corner, clothes hung up, and the changing table is pushed against the wall. We even stuck the rocking chair in the corner, the one right by the window—you can see a nice view of the cherry blossom trees."

Hikaru barely listened, getting just what he needed out of what the girl was saying. "Thanks," he muttered, looking down. "So where is Tono?"

"He's on the computer," she gestured toward the conjoined living room. A blonde head could be seen above the white couch, surprising Hikaru a little—he hadn't noticed the King when he had first walked in. Keys could be heard clicking at a vast rate.

Hikaru wandered over to him, sitting on the couch beside the blonde and studying the computer screen. What he saw alarmed him—he couldn't tell if he was confused, curious, or slightly angry.

"Reincarnation?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes," Tamaki replied smoothly, keeping his voice the usual airy self it was for the younger's sake.

"…You're an idiot, Tono." Tamaki let out a sigh, keeping an emotionless smile as he pricked at the keys with his middle fingers.

"No, Hikaru, I may be an idiot on occasion, but this is pure curiosity." The burning amethyst eyes met gold, taking the younger one off guard and keeping him silent. They softened. "Surely you of all people want to…figure this out, Hikaru?"

"Figure what out?" he countered stubbornly; characteristically.

"Really Hikaru?" Tamaki looked at the incredulously. He considered that Hikaru was just packing up all the mysteries in a box, sticking it on a shelf to let the dust collect along with the questions but doing nothing to heed the grime away, but Hikaru wasn't the one to do that sort of thing when it came to the people he cared about. Especially his brother. "There has to be something behind it…" he continued in a whisper, not looking at the computer screen. "You aren't suspicious? Kyouya showed us pictures—it's _just _like him…we should at least know all the possibilities, the reasons, for Kaoru, I think…"

"And how do you think this is doing anything for Kaoru? We can't do anything for him anymore, _Tamaki," _Hikaru snapped, eyes sparking.

"Because if he came back then there's a reason," Tamaki explained, keeping his calming composure.

Hikaru froze, the fire in his eyes dying slowly as his head drooped, muscles in his neck weakening. Clenching and unclenching his fists, he offered Tamaki his copper-colored orbs, begging for a further justification. Tamaki looked content to comply, finding success at the Hitachiin's sudden attention.

"The religions that believe in reincarnation say that people are reincarnated according to their past lives—if they were a good person, they will have a good life, and vice versa."

Hikaru let out a cynical laugh. "Well we can rule that one out then, Kaoru wasn't a bad enough person to be stuck with _me _again."

Tamaki finally concluded how Hikaru felt about the entire occurrence, and that was bitter. Extremely bitter. The kind that would leave an unpleasant sour taste in your mouth and no matter how many sweets you use to get rid of it there was always a _lingering._ There was nothing to get rid of it with, so Tamaki didn't try.

"But those religions also do not have _anything_ to say about the person is reborn looking _exactly _like they did in the past life—so _that _is why we are ruling that out," Tamaki finished, looking his younger straight in the eyes. "But others—like Christianity—believe everything happens for a reason. Have you ever noticed his birthmark, Hikaru?"

"Kaoru never had a birthmark…"

"No, not his," Tamaki said gently, "the baby's."

"…Now that you mention it, I think he did…" Hikaru concluded, eyes widening slightly.

"Right. Where was it?"

Hikaru looked down in thought, before his teeth clenched and he gripped the couch in frustration. His voice came out a scratchy whisper, painful sounding. "Right under his heart—where Kaoru, _my _Kaoru, was shot…"

"I know," The King comforted, eyes as lenient as a mother's. "Did you notice the shape?" A slight shake of the head. "It's a butterfly, Hikaru. Do you know what a butterfly symbolizes?"

Slowly the twin raised his head, meeting purple eyes again. "Freedom, right?"

The blonde nodded, smiling, as Hikaru appeared to be absorbing all the information and processing it, showing a sign he was coming out of his robotic phase. "I was talking to Honey recently—pity, how we're all brought together again by such an event, isn't it?—he told me something he was extremely concerned about you Hikaru. He told me something Kaoru had told him back at Ouran." Hikaru pressed further, just staring at Tamaki expectantly. "He told me Kaoru just wanted you to spread your wings freely…"

The brunette's breath hitched, and for a moment auto-pilot had been turned off and he had to remember how to breathe on his own again. A caring familiar grin flashed through his eyes, eyes so familiar to his staring at him with adoration and encouragement. A laugh—so unlike his—airy, free and slightly raspy. They never knew how people confused them. Subtle differences—how one acted when he was angry, how the other moped when he was sad, the tiny difference in the way they used their features, one gentler and the other passionate, was giveaways. But it was hard to tell if you didn't try to get to know them. They balanced each other.

"Hikaru, why are you so harsh to yourself about his death?" Tamaki asked painfully innocently.

Hikaru's eyebrows narrowed and his cheeks flushed a light crimson. "Why do you _think, _I'm so harsh, Tamaki? _My brother_—_he's!_—my…baby brother…" His voice eventually began to unknot, the angry stare withering to an unattractive frown that did not suit the young man.

"Not just that. You blame yourself, Hikaru—that's just _you, _you can't help it, can you?" Tamaki inquired.

Hikaru opened his mouth before biting his tongue back, scrunching his eyes shut and regaining his composure. "People don't understand—we're _twins, _not that far apart—but…_I'm _his big brother…" the strong voice cracked, but Hikaru kept his look firm, wanting his older friend to understand. "I was supposed to take care of him…God, I'm a freaking policeman, and the one person I couldn't protect in this forsaken town was _him…"_

"You don't see it yet?" Tamaki was now feeling frustrated a very rare occurrence due to his big space-filled skull.

Hikaru's angered flared, he was tired, _so tired_ of being questioned. "See _what, _Tamaki? Would you just tell me, you're supposed to be helping _me _understand, not act like my effing therapist!"

"He's giving you another chance, Hikaru!" Tamaki raised his voice, simply to get the other back on track. This, predictably, made the hot-head cease his complaints, and his child-like eyes widened in questioning innocence. "Just _think _for a moment, _why _would your brother put you through this? What's the point? He knew you Hikaru—I'm guessing better than you knew yourself!—but he didn't want you to live in guilt, confined to your own mind; _caged_. He knew you cared, he knew that you'd blame yourself…this is your _chance _Hikaru, to be the good big brother you wished to be!"

Hikaru sat on the couch dumbfounded—Tono figured this out? But not himself? He was so ignorant. So arrogant. The final words of his brother played over and over again like an annoyingly broken record that refused to be shut off.

_"Everything happens for a reason…"_

And then he had called him 'onii-san'. It was a rare occurrence, but they did occasionally call each other 'big brother' and 'little brother', but that had become even _rarer_ in the past year he had almost forgotten how it sounded on his little brother's tongue…

He gulped, finding his voice lost amongst his own thoughts. Violet met gold, for the fiftieth time in the past ten minutes after averting each other, before the brunette closed his mouth and reluctantly nodded.

"That makes sense. I don't want it to," a deep breath, "but it makes sense."

Tamaki felt relief wash over him as the younger final came to a conclusion, a calming one, from his standing point. Not pleasant. But calming. "It's all up to you now, Hikaru," Tamaki chuckled half-heartedly, "I know I sound rather cliché, but I don't how else to put it. You can give the baby up for adoption, you were half-gone when you made that promise, but you have to take that into account, because it's undeniable that baby looks like your brother for _some _reason."

They were quiet, letting the twin process the information. "…I was never going to give him up…" he whispered, to Tamaki or himself, he's not quite sure. Then he stood, startling Tamaki. "I'm going to check on him," he whispered, looking at him one more time before traveling through the dark hallway into the baby's room.

The room had a green glow, coming from a star-speckled light that attached to the baby's crib. Shutting the door quietly, he silently made it over to the crib, noting the faint lullaby music coming from a CD player in the corner of the room, and the sounds of rhythmic breathing that followed the tune un-simultaneously.

He had to come to a few conclusions, or this would never work.

Quitting the police force was one. He was done. No one else was being put at risk.

Two: _this was Kaoru now. _He was raising a child, and his friends were helping him. They all assured him a countless number of times that they would be there. If anyone mentioned a Kaoru, unless the conversation proved otherwise, then they were talking about this one—the littler one.

And finally, everything had to center around him. Hikaru's decisions had to reflect the baby, whether he liked it or not. He made a promise, and though he wasn't obliged to follow it, some say, it was a promise that concerned another life. He just can't dump the baby at someone's door step and leave it with no origins, no sense of who he was, and expect him to turn out okay. And what Tamaki said—this was his chance. If what the usually idiot-blonde had said was all _true…_what a terrible person he would be to let it slip through hands. How would his twin feel about it… .

The baby shifted, whimpering in his sleep. Hikaru stopped his musings, watching the child's tiny fists feebly clasp and unclasp as he dreamed about Lord-knows-what. He whined a little louder now, his peaceful face contorting into a frightened expression as his dream turned nightmare. Hikaru felt slightly panicked, his cheeks tingling, and ever so gently he reached in and touched the soft cheek, shushing the child in an attempt to comfort it.

"It's okay…"

The whisper almost went unnoticed by Hikaru himself, with the music and whimpering babe drowning him out.

"It's okay, Kaoru… ." he said a little louder this time, more confident. Just uttering the name made him feel conflicted. He chuckled breathily as he said good-bye to his sociable, young-adulthood life.

He knew this was going to be hard. He knew just each time the child _smiled _he would feel a stab of discomfort but cooling contentment at the same time. But his last petal of hope relied on his brother, who, if Tamaki proven true, believed he could somehow manage this.

He grazed his calloused fingers over the birthmark, a blotchy, light brown splotch that, very much so, came together to form a sloppy butterfly. Kaoru sniveled in his sleep, moving his head to the side and taking in a sharp breath. Hikaru ceased rubbing the mark and moved to wipe a fray of red out of the baby's eyes, lightly touching the forehead and whispering condolences again. He raised his eyebrows slightly, coming to another conclusion he was surprised he didn't come up with before.

_Nothing _was going to happen to this baby.

**A/N: Wow that was a terrible chapter. Way too serious, but I felt it was called for…Kind of a filler chapter, sorry guys! . Very cliché too, at least I think. Don't worry, next chapter you should enjoy, hopefully :) It'll definitely get less emo. Please review, and give me your opinion! More reviews, the faster the next chapter goes up!**

**God bless! :)**

_**Next Chapter Preview: Bath-time! :D**_


	5. Butterfly : 8 Days

**A/N: I'm baaack…. X) tee-hee**

_**Butterfly**_

_**8 Days**_

_**January 17, 2012**_

So, our dear Hikaru came to a couple of conclusions in the last chapter, all about a baby. After that evening—after the funeral—Hikaru took on his job as the child's guardian alarmingly serious. He wanted to do everything, but, unfortunately for him, he didn't know _how. _So, much to the surprise but quiet pleasure of Haruhi and Tamaki, he would study them and watch them do everything with the baby, taking mental notes on how gentle he had to be with the newborn. A lot of things they had to call up Haruhi's father and ask him how to do because of the limited knowledge Haruhi had from her few babysitting jobs. But they got everything done, either way, and the night always ended with a very peaceful baby sleeping in his crib, breathing lightly and cheeks rosy. Hikaru came to another conclusion along the way:

Taking care of a child was freaking _terrifying._

He was extremely nervous when Haruhi insisted he did anything with little Kaoru. He had never been the 'gentle' twin, he was always afraid that one touch would shatter such a feeble-looking creature. Thus his lack of helping, and more of watching—don't get me wrong, he would hold the baby and rock it to sleep occasionally, but he could feel himself trembling out of fear of hurting him when the babe was nestled in his long arms.

Well, our beloved and painfully blunt Haruhi Fujioka was tired of it. She wasn't going to _live _here with her fiancé for the rest of her life just because Hikaru was afraid to change a diaper.

"Mori-sempai? Honey-sempai? What are you doing here?—and what is that?" Hikaru questioned, peering down at the medium sized box that was about as big as the blonde Lolita carrying it.

Said blonde poked his head out from behind the box, a bright smile on his dimpled cheeks. "Hika-chan! We've missed you!" he exclaimed, his forever guardian nodding beside him with a small smile. "Haru-chan called us over!"

Mori nodded, looking down at the brunette. "She said you guys were going to give Kaoru his first bath."

Hikaru paled slightly. "She what?"

"Mori and Honey-sempai!"

The young adults turned around the see the petite girl walking towards them, smiling. She peered around Hikaru, who was blocking the doorframe, scowling slightly.

"Don't be rude, Hikaru, invite them in," she said, face bored and tone awfully frank.

"Oh! Sorry," Hikaru said, stepping aside and letting their fellow host-club members enter. The older adults said their 'thank you's', setting the box and a bag of—well, Hikaru didn't ask nor know, down and taking off their coats and shoes, now shiny wet and caked in snow. He turned towards Haruhi, who had a content and ever so innocent smile on.

"What is it they say about a bath, Haruhi?"

She simply shrugged in reply, taking only a quick glance at her former classmate with her chocolate brown eyes. "Well most babies usually have their first bath on the third, maybe fifth day after their born, but…I wanted you to do it, so I waited a little longer until I thought you were ready."

Hikaru was a tad startled, head cocked to the side. "Why's it so special that you had to wait for _me?" _

"Hikaru…" Haruhi sighed, looking at him with soft features and chin slightly tilted downward. "I was speaking with my father, and he said that the first bath is supposed to be, I don't know, special. My Mom had him record mine," she scowled a little, "but, since you will be taking care of Kaoru until he's, I don't know, eighteen, I thought you should do it," she explained all too calmly, making Hikaru shift uncomfortably.

"But, I, umm…"

Another sigh. "No Hikaru, I'm afraid you can't get out of this one."

Hikaru opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off when a very calm, eccentric blonde entered the foyer with a small bundle of green wrapped in his arms.

"Hello my beloved sempai's," he greeted, grinning toothily, "have you met our, er, new addition yet?"

Honey, being the classical Honey, ogled at the newborn, opening his mouth in an 'O' form and placing his hands on his slightly chapped cheeks, eyes lighting up. Mori, also classically, smiled gently, peering down at the baby.

"He's so tiny, isn't he Takashi!"

"Yeah."

Honey cocked his head to the side, candy-colored eyes sparkling as he examined the blinking child, who was having a heck of a time picking at the brightly green-apple colored blanket he was wrapped in. He made a bit of a moaning sound, as if communicating with them. Honey giggled in delight, and upon hearing the tinkling sound the baby tried to mimic it, making the crowd around him smile slightly.

"Look, Takashi, he's trying to talk to us!" He once again smiled at the newborn, who was studying the new person as much as he was studying him. They looked at each other's lightly toned toffee-colored eyes, and the baby, deciding this new person is someone he enjoyed, reached up with an approving, gummy smile and noises of glee, making Honey frown in the slightest. "He really is just like Kao-chan…" he whispered, unknowing that things echoed louder in the foyer.

Hikaru's smile slowly faded, and sucking in a deep breath he closed his eyes and appeared downward, trying to hide his sad face. Honey, now feeling awful, quickly tried to change the atmosphere, rushing to the bag they brought and pulling out a pack of patterned cloths.

"Look Haru-chan! We got the cloths you asked for—they have duckies on them!" He waved the rags in the air, proud. "Are they soft enough?" he asked, handing them to the brunette. She felt them with her thumb, a soft smile coming to her face.

"Perfect, sempai," Haruhi said, making the twenty-one year old (unbelievable, right?) light up. She turned around, facing the new-guardian with a slightly amused but firm expression, hands on her hips. "Alright, Hikaru, I'm going to teach you everything about giving a baby a bath."

"But, Haruhi," he whispered, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't even start complaining, there's much worse you could've done, but don't worry I'll save that until tomorrow." She smirked at the frazzled twin.

Hikaru rolled his eyes, letting the smallest of grins work its way up on his face. "Geez, I feel like I'm at baby boot-camp."

"I said, _no _complaining, maggot! ….Now hold my ducky rags as I go get some warm water."

*}V{*

"Alright, Hikaru," Haruhi said calmly, running her hand through the little baby-tub to double check the water. They all sat on the floor of the baby's room, the tiny yellow tub filled slightly with warm water. A blue hammock was hooked above the water, so that the baby would not be resting in it. Hikaru looked apprehensive, watching as Tamaki, Mori, and Honey cooed at the baby as they started to undress him. He looked at the tub as if he was staring down the guillotine, and he heavily swallowed the lump in his throat before Tamaki came up to him, baby in hand.

"You ready?" he asked, smile all too taunting.

"First, we have to get some things straight," Haruhi interrupted, looking Hikaru straight in the eyes. "It's not too hard; you just really have to wipe the baby down with some warm water, applying the soap to the _rag, _not the baby directly. And you've got to be quick, if the water gets too cold the baby will get upset," she explained, glancing at Kaoru, who was now wrapped in a blue towel in her fiancé's arms. Hikaru dumbly nodded, lips stretched into a straight line. Honey and Mori stayed to watch, half-amused.

"Here, Hikaru," Tamaki said, trying to give him an encouraging smile. He held baby Kaoru out, who wriggled uncomfortably in the two-hand hold, and Hikaru tenderly took him in his arms, a tense frown on his face.

Wishing no one were here to watch him, Hikaru unwrapped the towel from around Kaoru, who immediately whined when the cold air hit his fragile skin. Hikaru froze, but Haruhi's hand on his elbow encouraged him to continue his job and he placed the baby on the hammock. Little Kao whimpered, using all his muscles to turn his head and look at the position he was in, which he was _not _enjoying. Water collected in his eyes and his brightly pink lips turned into a frown, a sob escaping.

Hikaru, naturally, panicked.

"W-what did I do? Did I hurt him? H-he doesn't like it!" He reached for the baby and was about to wrap him back up in the towel, but Haruhi snatched his hand and shook her head. The rest of the group frowned, but tried to give Hikaru looks of reassurance. He mumbled and embarrassed 'sorry', before taking one of the rags and dipping it in the water.

Gingerly, he ran the warm cloth of the sniveling newborn, who started to cry a little more as the water turned cold on his skin. Hikaru said quiet apologies to the child, as if he would understand, resting his hand under the hammock to reassure Kaoru he was there. The baby hummed, trying to stress that _he was cold, _but Haruhi constantly reassured Hikaru this was _normal, babies cry._

Hikaru huffed irritably, tired of the stares from his friends, and reached a hand up to stroke the small belly slightly, as a comfort, but Kaoru reached up his damp hand, the entire hand encircling his guardian's long thumb. Hikaru's mouth parted as he noted just how _petite_ and _brittle_ the hand actually was. Slowly he smiled, chuckling.

"His entire hand is as big as my thumb…" Hikaru said aloud, now wetting the baby's hair. A slight blush made it to his face, and the child, calmed by the happy look on everyone else's face, had stopped whimpering and tried to enjoy the warmth from the rag.

All too soon, however, he was cold again. And he started crying. And Hikaru cursed the _God forsaken—_

"Ok…" Haruhi quickly said, noting the very annoyed face on her friend, "I think he's clean now." She reached for the towel, placing it on her lap and preparing to take the baby. However, before she could even reach her hands towards Kaoru, Hikaru took the towel from her and placed it in his lap, taking the baby out, very carefully, and placing him on his folded knees. The baby slowly started to cease his crying as Hikaru grinned at him, tenderly wiping the water droplets off the white skin and whispering nonsense to his little ears.

Finely deemed dry, Hikaru securely wrapped Kaoru in the towel, nice and tight, supporting his head with his entire hand as he cradled him in his arms. Kaoru, being an innocent baby, was a little confused. His wide amber eyes were curious as he stared up at the familiar man, who always seemed _scared _of him for some reason. He thought the man was silly, and tried to tell him that, but only got a laughing response from the people around him. This made Kaoru huff, now pouting, and relaxed into the long arms that held him.

"And now he's annoyed with me…" Hikaru commented, chuckling quietly. Tamaki scoffed, watching as the baby started to drift, now warm and clean, burrowing himself closer to Hikaru's chest.

"You did good, Hika-chan!" Honey said, clapping. Mori nodded, giving his deep toned 'yeah' approval.

Haruhi giggled, watching the two. "Hey, he seems to be warming up to you!" Suddenly her wrist-watch started to beep, and she glanced at it real quick before sighing heavily and turning it off. "That means we have to feed him now," she said, sounding tired. She stood, approaching Hikaru and preparing to take the baby.

However, when her hands reached down towards the two, Kaoru was suddenly turned away from her. Hikaru held him slightly tighter as the baby started to hum some type of nonsense, and Haruhi, along with the rest of the host-club, looked toward Hikaru with surprised eyes, asking for some explanation.

"I…umm…" he stuttered, looking down at the little life in his arms. He watched the way the ever-so-small hand clung to his blue tee-shirt, and the look of content on the baby's face as he rested his cheek on Hikaru's chest. Hikaru turned his head slightly, studying him, and how innocent he looked as his breaths evened out and he just rested in the slender arms, silent, eyes half-lidded and little amount of red hair mussed this way and that on his head, cheeks now turning a shade of healthy-looking pink from the warmth.

"I, uh, I can do it," Hikaru finally explained, tearing his eyes from the child to look at Haruhi's confused, coffee colored ones.

She only smiled in response, and Hikaru started to turn an embarrassed shade of red as the rest of his hosts did the same, Honey's giggle seeming to shatter his eardrums.

"He…ummm…smells good…."

_'Great excuse, Hikaru….' _He thought bitterly to himself, puckering his lips in annoyance.

Haruhi let out a loud laugh, throwing her head in the air and walking towards the door to prepare the baby's bottle.

"_Sure, _Hikaru. He'll smell even better after he eats!"

**A/N: Started this at eleven pm, finished at one and I still got homework to do….meh :P Not as happy as I was going for, but not bad I suppose :) **

**NOTICE: So from here on the chapters are going to get happier, and we'll get more into their normal routines and we'll get to watch the fun experiences of raising a child :) SO, with that, I'm saying now that I TAKE REQUESTS. Or if you have an idea on what they could do with baby Kaoru, if you want to see something, or maybe even a one-word prompt, PLEASE TELL ME :) I love doing requests and prompts. So much. 3**

**God bless!**

_**Next Chapter Preview: **_

"_**Now we are going to get the basics down, Hikaru: changing diapers, feeding, burping, rocking to sleep, changing diapers, playing with him in general, how to dress him for outside, oh, and changing diapers."**_

"…_**.You said changing diapers three times."**_

"_**I **__**know**__**." **_


	6. Butterfly: 9 Days

_**Butterfly**_

_**9 Days**_

_**January 18, 2012**_

_**The Basics**_

Hikaru slept extremely well that night; after watching little Kaoru fall asleep in his arms, smiling at the way the baby clutched at his shirt, he laid him down to sleep in his crib, a small grin on both faces. Hikaru had found himself oddly content that night, and slept peacefully afterward. No nightmares.

That, however, was interrupted around seven a.m. the next morning.

"Hikaru, baby's crying, get up."

….

"Hikaru, I'm not getting him this time. You slept all night. Get up, now."

…..some rustle of movement….

"Hikaru, you're a spoiled brat."

…..a _very _lovely finger…..

"Good, I was trying to provoke you. If your brain can function enough that you know _which finger to use," _Haruhi's tone slowly grew darker, "then you can get up."

"Haru_hi," _Hikaru growled, unraveling himself from his many bed sheets, "don't make me feel stupid when the sun isn't even out yet, it makes me feel….."

"…._stupid?" _ Haruhi finished for him, squinting her eyes at the teen.

"…shut-up."

A loud cry echoed from down the hall, Tamaki's weak attempts to hush the crying newborn all useless. Hikaru slowly grew more aware, eyes now at their normal size and he began to slowly sit up in bed. His shimmery eyes scanned down the hallway, his hair mussed up at various angles, baggy t-shirt hanging off of his slender shoulder and cheeks developing a shadow of a healthy rose-hued glow. Haruhi watched down the hall, making sure Tamaki did _not _pick up the sobbing child. Hikaru's face morphed into a slight angry, but more of confused expression, watching as the blonde stood _outside _of the baby's room, shushing him from the hall.

"Hey, what…? Why isn't he in there with Kaoru?" Hikaru demanded, now becoming slightly angry not only from being woken up so early, but also the fact that nobody was making any real attempt to comfort the baby.

Haruhi stayed nice and blunt, as always, crossing her arms and staring at Hikaru, who was now completely awake, out of anger, and sitting on top of the covers. "I told him to. I'm sorry Hikaru, but we're not going to be here all the time," she calmly explained, noting the look of guilt on her former classmate's face. "I wanted you to do it. Kaoru needs to get used to seeing _your _face in the morning, not ours."

Hikaru stayed silent, staring at Haruhi, who gazed right back with a woman's determinedness (which you should never ever _ever _cross, may I add). Parting his lips multiple times, he finally let out a heavy sigh and raised himself from the bed, rubbing his eyes as he gained his balance, now standing on the plush carpet. He cleared his throat, ran his hands through his hair, and then very resolutely, with a new motivation in his step, walked down the hall to Kaoru's room.

He slowly peered in before entering, noting how it was still dark, but the hue of the room was now more of a lighter gray rather than a dark ebony, the only light being provided by the callow-glowing collection of stars. The baby whined once more and, without realizing it, he walked a little faster towards the crib, looking down to see the tiny child wriggling in his crib, screaming his cries as if he were dying by some invisible force. This frightened Hikaru, and he reached both hands down and caringly cradled Kaoru, the wails now becoming just a _tad _quieter. He put the baby in the crook of his elbow, making sure he was cushioned safely and securely, grabbing a soft blanket off the side of the crib and wrapping him in it.

The baby recognized the man's face; it was the gentle one who was always scared of him. This calmed him as the man started to slowly, unconsciously, rock him back and forth, whispering little condolences he wasn't sure were falling out of his mouth. Kaoru stopped his wails, now reduced to a bundle of small whimpers and hums. He decided this guy was alright—if he would just freaking feed him.

And only one way a baby can express how he feels!

"_Aw, man_," Hikaru humphed, trying to calm his rocking speed and rubbing small circles into little Kaoru's back, "why are you crying now?" he begged, voice desperate.

"He's hungry," Came Haruhi from the door way, her brown eyes peeking around the wall shyly. "I got the bottle ready-you want to do it?"

Hikaru thought about it for a moment, looking at the baby and then Haruhi. He nodded his head.

Hikaru sat at the rocking chair, settling Kaoru more comfortably in his lap but keeping his head pillowed against the arm of the chair with his elbow, knowing it was too hard for the still soft flesh. Haruhi was already ready with the bottle, and quickly scuttled out of the room, hoping that Hikaru would become more accustomed too, and confident with the thought of doing things himself. She was caught at the doorway however by a pair of pink lips on hers, only for a moment. Stunned, she stared at her fiancé before he closed the door, smiling back at her.

Now, with only a faint green glow as his company, Hikaru was left alone with the baby. He swallowed thickly, making a clicking noise with his mouth. He felt his cheeks tingle slightly at the thought of doing this with no one as his witnesses, but when the baby reached up and whimpered for the bottle, eyes scrunched tight and his cries wet sounding, he threw all of his fear to the side and put the nipple to the baby's lips. Kaoru immediately opened his mouth, hungrily sucking on it for the milk. Hikaru nearly pulled away, afraid the baby would choke, but when Kaoru whined again Hikaru restrained himself.

It was easier than Hikaru thought, and oddly, he enjoyed feeding Kaoru. The baby's hums as he sucked out the milk were cute, and the half lidded eyes and pinkish tinted cheeks added to the cuteness factor.

But Hikaru was _man—_so this was not _cute. _It was…funny sounding, and…funny sounding.

He found himself smiling—a blissful smile, which had become extremely rare in the past year. Kaoru made a gurgling sound, reaching up with his tiny hands and brushing Hikaru's nose. Hikaru chuckled quietly at the contact, starting to rock the baby back and forth absentmindedly. But as quickly as Hikaru had grown comfortable with feeding baby Kaoru, the bottle was gone, and the baby was full.

He felt…._disappointed? _

'_No…' _he reasoned, _'I'm just…not sure what to do next,' _he convinced himself.

Keyword being '_convinced'. _

"Umm…." Hikaru hummed, standing up and letting the baby's head rest on his shoulder. He lightly patted his back, waiting for a burp. Finally when that came, Hikaru pondered on what to do next. Kaoru's comfortable whines kept interrupting Hikaru's thoughts, and finally, after moments of just rocking the baby back and forth doing absolutely nothing, he decided that he should probably change little Kaoru.

Now, all he had to do…..was….

"_HARUHI!" _

The door slammed open all of a sudden and a very startled Tamaki and Haruhi stood there, eyes wide and ready to jump into action.

"What! What? Is the baby ok?" They both rushed over, examining the child that rested on their friend's shoulder. Hikaru scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, coughing a little at his overreaction.

"Noooo…" he said, drawing out the 'o' and rocking the baby back and forth innocently. "I just wanna change him…"

Suddenly the couple's worried faces changed into an irritated expression. "Seriously, Hikaru?" Haruhi countered, taking Kaoru from him and setting the baby on the changing table. "You freaked us out!"

"That would be another thing I think you should watch for Hikaru," Tamaki started, getting the wipes and the diapers out with a burned out expression. "_Don't _overreact; you'll scare my poor grandson."

"Right, sorr—wait what? _Grandson?" _

"Yes!" Tamaki declared, looking at the baby that cooed at him on the table. "Of course he's my grandson! You!" He dramatically pointed a finger at Hikaru, the other hand gesturing toward little Kaoru. "Are my son! And you are raising little Kaoru—therefore, he is my grandson!" he finished, arms spread wide in a host-club style. Hikaru could swear he heard trumpets and saw roses swirling in the background.

Hikaru suddenly came to a realization. "Whoa whoa whoa, that means _I'm _his dad."

"Well you kind of are, Hikaru," Haruhi added, joining the conversation. "You're raising him."

Hikaru's cheeks started to turn a light red color. "Y-yeah, but…"

"But what?" Tamaki questioned, hands on his hips.

"T-the term, 'Dad', it uh, m-makes me feel…" he coughed, tugging on his collar. "old."

The room was silent for a moment as Haruhi and Tamaki just _stared _at the brunette.

Then Haruhi took on her ever famous dead-pan face. "Seriously?"

"Yes seriously!" Hikaru objected, embarrassment gone. "I'm only nineteen! Dad is a little…much," he explained, becoming shy again.

Tamaki looked at him thoughtfully, partially understanding why Hikaru didn't want to be called 'Dad'. Not only because it made him feel _old. _"What shall Kaoru call you then?" he asked kindly, looking at him with understanding. All that followed was silence. Tamaki gulped, saying what everyone was thinking but keeping to themselves. "He could call you onii-san."

"No!" The sudden answer startled even Hikaru. "It—I mean—it's not—"

"We understand Hikaru," Haruhi said, finishing changing the baby and setting him on her shoulder. "You don't have to explain." She smiled at him, trying to show him that she understood why Hikaru had acted the way he acted—why he was so afraid to as much as change baby Kaoru. He nodded in return, a strained but grateful smile making its way up his face. Tamaki looked fondly at them both, silently taking baby Kaoru and handing him to Hikaru, who took him without question or hesitance.

Hikaru rubbed the child's back, holding him tight. The baby that looked just like his beloved brother. "Just Hikaru," he whispered, petting the baby's hair as he gazed at the floor, eyes foggy. "Hikaru is fine."

*}V{*

"Alright then…" Haruhi mumbled to herself, just finishing showing Hikaru how to dress the baby. They were all in the baby's room, sunlight now making its way through the white blinds and giving the room a yellow hue. She leaned against the changing table, the baby now held by Hikaru (which was becoming more and more frequent), going through a mental checklist. "Fed him, you've watched me change him plenty of times, we gave him a bath, you just watched me dress him, and _this,"_ she held up a thick journal, a little beaten up already, showing that it had already been used. "Is your new best friend." It was a journal she had stayed up all night to write, the bags on her eyes deeply regretting that, about anything and everything Hikaru would need to know about the baby. This was really to save her from the numerous calls she was sure to get after they left.

"Thank you," he said genuinely. "You have no idea how much you've really helped me out," he murmured, slightly embarrassed. Suddenly Haruhi's wristwatch started to go off again, startling all three of the teenagers.

"Feeding time," Haruhi sighed, automatically looking toward Hikaru. "You…?"

"Yeah," he replied, already sitting in the rocking chair and comfortably setting Kaoru in the crook of his elbow. In a moment she was back with the bottle, smiling.

Hikaru fought it, but he found himself smiling too. The baby hummed and cooed, big gold eyes peering up innocently, curiously, at his guardian. When offered the bottle he took it dazedly, too aware of his surroundings to focus on eating. Hikaru chuckled at the way the baby's eyes studied everything, he almost looked dizzy, the way his eyes were so wide and sparkly from the sunlight.

"Wait," Tamaki interrupted, a fond grin on his face, "So what will he call the club members, hm?" he asked, kneeling in front of Hikaru and watching the child eat.

Hikaru thought for a minute, not watching the baby anymore. He bit his lip, narrowing his eyebrows. "Well…how about just 'uncle' and 'aunt'. Like 'Uncle Tama', 'Aunt Haruhi', and the same for Kyouya, Honey, and Mori."

"Good idea, Hikaru!" Tamaki praised, looking at his friend. "And as his Uncle I promise to watch over, care for, and spoil him so much he'll turn rotten!" he declared, striking a famous host-club pose.

"Not that I don't like the idea," Haruhi cut in, putting hand on her fiance's shoulder. "But don't overdo it Tamaki—that's Hikaru's job," she said smiling.

He scoffed, grinning cheekily at both of his friends. "No pressure…"

Suddenly all of their grins dropped when Kaoru made a choking sound, and when Hikaru pulled away the bottle he starting spitting up a white liquid that made the blood drain from his caretaker's face.

"W-what's wrong with him!" Hikaru demanded, standing up and looking toward Haruhi, wide, toffee colored eyes begging for help. The baby made more choking sounds, whining in between from the uncomfortable hot liquid bubbling up his throat. Hikaru went into panic-mode, rocking and shushing him and begging his friends to _do something. _

Before he could react Tamaki fished baby Kaoru out of Hikaru's grasp, a shrill cry piercing through the chaos. Hikaru followed at his friends' heels, who rushed Kaoru to the kitchen sink.

Haruhi snatched up a kitchen towel and quickly placed it in the sink, Tamaki setting the baby sitting-up on top of the fabric. The white fluid dribbled down the baby's chin, his gurgled whimpers causing panic to jolt through Hikaru's veins. Tamaki beckoned the horrified teen over, and Hikaru held Kaoru up as his fellow members wiped the spit off of his chin, soothing the child by rubbing small, gentle circles on top of his head, his hair feeling wispy and fuzzy against his palm. Finally the spit-up stopped, and all three breathed a sigh of relief, Haruhi chucking the cloth she was using into the sink as Hikaru cradled Kaoru in his arms, rubbing the baby's flaming cheeks with his thumb. He let out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"The hell?" he asked, looking toward his older blonde King.

Haruhi held up a finger, walking away but returning quickly with the bottle in hand. She examined the nipple, squinting her dark brown eyes to see better. "Just as I thought," she muttered, "the nipple is too big—see the hole?" She showed Hikaru the top, pointing to the hole in which the baby got the milk out of. "It's too big—he's getting too much at once."

Tamaki took the bottle, also studying it. "Guess we'll have to buy a new one," he mumbled, turning his amethyst eyes toward Hikaru.

Hikaru hummed in agreement, staring down at little Kaoru with worried, auric eyes. The baby was now humming some-sorta-nonsense, clutching Hikaru's shirt in his feeble hand. The boy's once panicked look softened, and shakily moved the hand that wasn't supporting Kaoru to tenderly smooth his fiery hair back. Kaoru yawned as he peered up at his—protector, he would call him—burrowing his face into the man's shirt with a satisfied sigh.

Haruhi, however, had an excited look on her face. "Good!" she chirped, looking uncharacteristically mischievous. "Kaoru's first trip out!"

*}V{*

Hikaru had been very reluctant to take the baby out, but with a little convincing from his friends that this would be a good exercise to do _while _they were still here (_"You're going to have to do it by yourself one day, you know that right?") _he suited little Kaoru up in a bright blue winter coat, nearly smothering him with the load of plush blankets he surrounded him with to keep him warm in his car seat. Once Haruhi taught him _how _to buckle him in properly, and even practicing it a couple of times for good measure, they were off.

The poor new guardian nearly had a heart-attack when he walked in the ever-so-innocent grocery store. He hadn't been around people in nearly a week, and apparently today they were having some sale so of course _every freaking commoner in Tama was there. _

His blonde elder watched in amusement as his friend clutched the baby to his chest, growling at anyone that even so much as looked at the child. The police force was said to have a negative effect on the policemen, after seeing the horrors of the city, and that was proven true now. Haruhi watched with an embarrassed and very annoyed look on her face, apologizing to anyone who backed away in horror from 'the crazy bulldog', 'ferocious man eating lion', or 'fire haired demon'. Then there were the more colorful names he received from the more obnoxious shoppers, but for any younger readers out there I'll just let you fill in the blank.

"Down Hikaru," Tamaki taunted, taking the chance to take a jeer at his friend—he _never _got to do that, while Hikaru, as we all know, _never _missed a chance to mock Tamaki. "Do I need to get a leash?"

"Shut-up," he hissed, shooting a glare that could scare a _shark_ at his friend.

And definitely _would _scare a shark, due to the fact that moments later a child ran away crying from the 'angry man that stole someone's baby!'

The, well, "new parent", I suppose you could say, huffed, turning his attention toward the child in his arms to distract himself from sprinting out of the store and hiding in the car until his mentors were done shopping.

"Hikaru," Haruhi sighed in a tired voice, "put Kaoru in his little seat in the cart," she tapped it with her hands, "and we'll go to the baby section—I've got to teach you what you'll be buying for the next probably two years."

Hikaru scowled, but put the baby in his seat despite his qualm. Kaoru made uttering sounds at Hikaru, reaching his weak arms up, asking to be held again, but the brunette just swaddled him in his many blankets with a frown, swiftly rubbing his cheek in a way so that no one would notice the gesture of comfort.

Hitachiin Hikaru was _not _a softie. Most of the time. Unless Kaoru cried, whined, whimpered, pouted, or really really wanted something…

However, his thoughts were interrupted when a dark shadow loomed over him….

"What a pleasant surprise," came a cool, smug voice.

Hikaru whipped around. "Kyouya?"

"Hello, Hikaru. Tamaki," he nodded his head toward the blonde's direction, "Haruhi," he repeated the motion, "and I'm afraid I haven't formally met the new member yet," he finished, peering past the others to look at the baby.

Hikaru looked towards him in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"Tamaki called me," he replied smoothly. "I've wanted to come and see you all for a while now, believe it or not I miss all of your….loudness," he answered, making the group titter a little. "Sorry I missed your first bath," he said, now addressing the baby in the cart. The baby studied the new man with wide, toffee colored eyes. Gripping his blankets, he moved his mouth to form and 'o' shape, making an 'ooh'-ing sound. This made the Shadow King chuckle under his breath, noting the _uncanny _resemblance between this child and his—passed friend, but not mentioning anything.

"I'm glad you could make it Kyouya!" Tamaki chimed.

The black-haired man smiled at his friend. "I am too—we should get together with Mori and Honey sempai soon, too. And more often," he added, looking fondly at his friends.

Hikaru let a miniscule grin come to his lips. "Ditto," he replied, starting to push the cart toward the baby aisle. Kaoru let out a sound of agreement, with his petite hands reaching into the air aimlessly, making Hikaru smile at the baby.

Kyouya studied the two. Tamaki had been reporting to him the happenings in the Hitachiin's apartment from the very first day, and he was glad to see that his young friend was starting to adjust. Hikaru was very clearly very protective of little Kaoru, and whenever the teen looked at the baby his eyes were full of fondness. Familiarity. There were things though, that he questioned. I will not point them out now though, reader, because all of the Shadow King's issues will be pointed out and dealt with in the future. For now, though, all he wished he had was his little black book…

A child cried somewhere in the distance, making the newborn uncomfortable. He whined and Hikaru reached a hand in his seat to calm him, his shushes barely audible over the faint elevator-like music that flowed from the ceiling. Haruhi looked down each aisle, peering at the baby as he softly cried in the cart. She frowned, along with her fiancé, and believe it or not, Kyouya.

"Let's just hurry up," she said softly, "Kaoru's getting anxious."

*}V{*

Hikaru could get used to this, he decided.

Once _again _he found himself alone in the baby's room, Kaoru in his arms and slowly drifting off to sleep. Following the pattern was the faint emerald glow of the baby's nightlight, following the feathery sound of lullabies in the background. They had been Honey's idea, and they worked like magic when it came to getting Kaoru to calm down. Heck, they were even putting Hikaru to sleep. The only difference now was that Hikaru decided to keep the window _open, _the moon a resplendent circle compared to its ebony back drop. The room screamed with calmness, a very content feeling floating about like a lost ghost.

Shopping didn't take long, and Hikaru was almost looking _forward _to putting the baby to bed again. It soothed him greatly. It…diverted him…

And for that he felt guilty.

Haruhi and Tamaki had already fallen asleep together, snuggled on the couch in the living room, mid-watching TV. Hikaru smiled gently at that, throwing a blanket over them before scooping up baby Kaoru and taking him to his room to put him to bed.

His teachers mentioned something about putting Kaoru in Hikaru's room to sleep before they left; usually newborns always slept with their parents for six months, to nearly a year after being born. They just didn't have a bassinet for the baby yet.

But all thoughts were shoved aside when Kaoru reached his feeble hands up to brush against Hikaru's cheek, humming in contentment. This made the new a very afraid guardian glow with adoration, clutching the child tighter. After moments of just swaying back and forth, Kaoru was finally lulled to sleep. Hikaru's brightly glowing wheat-like eyes shined compared to the rest of the room as he studied the baby's sleeping face. _It was so much like him. But it wasn't him._

He gulped down a lump, digging his teeth into his bottom lip to stop himself from being overcome with emotion. He wasn't going to cry anymore, nor was he going to shut down. This child needed him and he had to be strong—no matter how silly and girlish it made him feel on occasion…

_He could do this._

**A/N: SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! AGAIN! Ughhhhh stupid school! I planned to have this done weeks ago…not only that, but my writing has suffered from my lack of—**_**brain. **_**I think it may have melted along with one of my science experiments. Well, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me what you think. Be critical (but not too harsh, I'm sensitive… ^-^) or at least let me know if you're enjoying the story. Again, prompts/requests are love! :) **

**God bless!**


	7. Butterfly: 12 Days

**Hey…Back from the dead….you guys still out there?**

**Disclaimer: :P**

_**Butterfly **_

_**12 Days**_

_**January 21, 2012**_

_**The Joys of Parenting Classes!**_

Coffee was Hikaru's new best friend.

The exhausted nineteen year-old tiredly rubbed at his eyes with closed fists, making a soft mewling sound as the microwave beeped, signaling that his coffee had been reheated. The second he was able to put the cup to his lips he heard a soft crying coming from the other room. He groaned, blowing the steam from the coffee with an exasperated sigh. Setting the cup down he marched into the other room in a frustrated manner, giving the bassinette a sad, fretful look as the cries grew more desperate and frightful sounding.

"Come on now," he whispered to no one in particular, "just _sleep."_

He scooped the child up in his arms, swaying his hips back and forth in attempt to comfort him. Kaoru's cries slowly ceased and were replaced by soft whimpers and extracted yet another sigh from the embittered brunette. He glanced at the red-glowing numbers on the clock, a giant 9:00 mocking him. Kaoru should be nestled in his bassinette and quietly sleeping by Hikaru's bed, not up and crying.

"What's wrong? Hm?" he asked—Hikaru had developed a new habit of talking to the baby, knowing full well that he probably didn't understand him or would answer back. But ever since Haruhi and Tamaki left, Hikaru had been feeling the vexing presence of loneliness breathing down his neck more often then was considered healthy. He bounced the baby a little, hoping that little Kaoru would recognize that he was there and there was nothing to cry about. He just wanted him to sleep.

"I've already tried everything…" the young adult whined, running his thumb hesitantly over the baby's cheek, wanting to comfort him.

They stayed like that for a few moments, the babe examining the larger hand of his guardian like it was some foreign object from another planet. Hikaru smiled the softest of smiles, wiggling the finger Kaoru clutched onto back and forth. He garbled a little, making a high-pitched squeal of amusement. Hikaru let out an actual laugh.

"You're amused so easily…" he said to himself. Kaoru hummed, pulling Hikaru's finger to his cheek and nuzzling it.

Suddenly the phone rang.

Hikaru jolted, startled by the loud ringing that forced him out of his sweet content. The baby in his arms began to whine again and tears started to gather in his eyes. Quickly Hikaru shushed him, cursing whoever decided to call him this late at night when he had a baby in the house.

And that's when he realized how much he sounded like some middle-aged mother.

And lost all dignity.

"What?" he barked into the phone. He wasn't known for being polite so why would he give a damn now.

"He-llo, my dearest Hikaru," Tamaki said in his sing-song, too sweet voice.

He let out a sigh. "What do you want, milord?"

"Why are you being so snippity with me?" Tamaki whined over the phone. "I wouldn't call you unless it was important!"

"Ok, milord…" Hikaru drawled, his nerves grating as Kaoru started to get restless in the one-arm hold. "If it's so important, _get to the point_."

"Alright, I will!" Tamaki cheered, as if Hikaru wasn't being a total ass right now. Which he was. And he knew it. "Tomorrow Haruhi and I will be picking you up around one in the afternoon, we have a surprise for you!"

Uh-oh.

"What surprise? And what about Kaoru?"

"Why he's coming too of course!" Tamaki replied as if it was the most blatant thing in the world. "So have him all ready to go and bundled up, okay?"

"Yeah sure, but _where are you taking us?" _Hikaru repeated except sterner.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you!"

"Tama-" Hikaru started, but the eccentric blonde had already hung up. He looked at the phone incredulously, as if expecting his senior to literally jump out of it and provide some explanation. The brunette shook his head and let out a long breath, hanging up the phone and bouncing the child in his arms again.

"Come on, Kao," he cooed, rubbing the puffy cheek once more. "We better get you to sleep. Lord knows what that idiot has planned for us."

_**~~~~This is a break!~~~~**_

"I feel uncomfortable being forced into a car when I don't know where you're taking me."

"You'll get over it."

"I'm not totally sure."

"I'm sure."

"I'm traumatized."

"No you're just being whiny."

"Not-"

"Just stop talking."

"…Fine."

Kaoru shook his small rattle toy, letting out a long high-pitched squealing noise. Hikaru chuckled, looking at Haruhi through the review mirror.

"See! Kaoru agrees!"

He saw her brown chocolate eyes roll. "Trust us Hikaru. We're not taking you anywhere bad; it's very good in fact."

Then Tamaki turned around in the passenger seat so he could look at his younger friend. "I think you'll like it in the end!"

That caught Hikaru's attention. He narrowed his eyes and looked at his senior skeptically. "What do you mean _in the end?"_

Tamaki's eyes widened. "Ummm…what I meant was—"

"Aaannnd we're here!" Haruhi chirped, saving Tamaki. They pulled up to a large, white building with darkened windows. Hikaru peered up at it, scrunching up his nose in disgust. It was a painfully boring looking building and we all know how he hates being bored.

"I've already decided I don't wanna go in," he said the moment the car was turned off. He stuck his head between the driver's and passenger's seat but, to his dismay, Tamaki and Haruhi were already out of the car. Haruhi opened the side door and very quickly took Kaoru out of his seat and slammed the door.

_Why are they so rushed! _Hikaru wondered, scrambling out of the car.

"H-hey! Wait a second!" he called, trailing behind.

"Hurry up Hikaruuu!" rang Tamaki, voiced laced with mockery and covered in sugar. Hikaru huffed in irritation. He and Haruhi were already walking through the front doors with Kaoru, a knowing smile on their faces. This irked Hikaru even more.

"Hurry up for what!" he shouted back, sprinting inside the revolving doors and trying to snag Haruhi's jacket. "Come on tell me where we're going! At least give me back Kaoru!" he tried weakly, his slightly panicked voice echoing off of the white-bricked walls adorned with fancy paintings and plaques awarding who-cares-what. The prestigious of the building made Hikaru feel uncomfortable and out of place—it was so formal and business-like. Everything he wasn't.

Finally, after sprinting down halls of maroon carpet and gold walls he made it to the elevator where his two friends met him with smirks.

"About time," came Haruhi.

"Hush," Hikaru commanded, entering the elevator with a grumble. The small brunette rolled her coffee-brown eyes, offering the baby as an offer of peace. The young adult immediately took Kaoru from her arms, mumbling to himself all the while about the King rubbing off too much on her.

An awkward silence followed—Hikaru tapped his foot along with the slow, static-y elevator music, his lips crumpled and waiting for what he assumed would be a very unpleasant afternoon. His friends stood on either side of him, brown meeting purple in a nervous glance. The ding to their floor startled them all. Tamaki coughed into his hand and led the way out of the elevator, Hikaru following with Kaoru and then Haruhi.

The blonde quickly paced ahead, scanning the plaques by each door to find the room. Finally, when he did, he stood in front of the plaque outside to be sure that Hikaru couldn't read it. Said brunette narrowed his eyes at his friend, trying to peer behind him but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Now don't be mad," Haruhi said, twiddling her fingers together. Hikaru narrowed his look.

_"Why _would I be mad?"

Haruhi opened her mouth to answer but was cut of immediately when the door to the room Tamaki was blocking opened. All three peered at the woman who opened the door with wide eyes, very similar as to what a deer would look like if a car was speeding towards it. Haruhi and Tamaki, in fact, were very sure that at this point they would've preferred to be that deer.

"H-hello," the woman said, hazel eyes surveying the group. Finally her eyes landed on the small babe in Hikaru's arm, and an overpowering (painfully _cheerful) _glossy smile lit up her face. She threw her perfectly manicured hands out to Hikaru, tea-colored eyes sparkly.

"You must be the new daddy!"

"…I'm sorry, the _what?"_

**_This is a break!_**

_ A freaking parenting class._

Hikaru's body was _rigid _with the anger that was running through it. The moment that Miss. Too-Freaking-Happy had called him daddy, Haruhi and Tamaki had gave him a quick summary about how they thought it was a _fantastic _idea to enroll him in a parenting class and before he could tell them just how 'excited' he was they had run off. And now he was trapped in a room with fifteen mothers coddling over their babies, all chubby and drool-y alike.

And yes, Hikaru was the only man there.

The young man huffed and adjusted the blanket that covered small Kaoru; he peered up and down the rows—everyone was lined up as if this really were some sort-of baby boot camp. Each guardian stood in front of a table where they let the babies lay while Miss. Cheery once again surveyed each and every one of them, as if judging their parenting skills before even starting the class. Her pink shiny lips puckered, the fluorescent light glinting in her eyes, and then her lips stretched into an almost Cheshire cat like smile. Fake and mocking, in Hikaru's opinion.

"Hell-o, new parents! My name is Mrs. Sato, and I am _so _excited to be teaching every one of you how to be the most _amazing _parents you can capably be!" she cheered in a sing-song voice. Hikaru could feel his gag-reflex starting to act up.

"Now all you mommies," she started, freezing when her eyes met Hikaru's, "a-and brave males…" All the women giggled and snuck a glance at Hikaru whose cheeks were starting to heat and redden with the unwanted attention.

The young brunette tried to keep his gaze downward as Mrs. Sato drawled on and on about the 'joys of parenting'. He surveyed the women around him, their calm-collected faces making him all the more nervous. Absent mindedly he kept fiddling with the blanket around Kaoru, trying to look like he was actually busy with something. Feeling a small hand brush against his, Hikaru turned his attention down towards the small child and found Kaoru's runty, honey-hued eyes shined with curiosity as he gazed up at his guardian. Looking at the eyes that were so similar to his set a familiar feeling of comfort in the pit of his stomach, and he hummed a laugh while letting tiny Kaoru grasp his pointer finger.

"Now, everyone listen for a minute because this is the _most important part _of today!"

Hikaru slowly pulled his attention away from the baby, looking at Mrs. Sato peculiarly. "Alright—be warned, parents!" the middle-aged woman shouted dramatically, throwing her arms out like an old and aging voodoo witch. Hikaru was afraid a fire would burst out in the middle of the room at any minute.

Two hot pink nails pointed to the ceiling, Mrs. Sato licked her pearly white teeth in a very in attractive manner that made our poor Hitachiin twin shiver. "Now…let's see, how do I put this? There are just _some _people…" Her eyes rested on Hikaru for the shortest of moments. "…that shouldn't be parents."

The class bristled a little at this, Hikaru especially. "Our children are being corrupted, parents!" she explained, as if it were the simplest and most apparent explanation. Hikaru rolled his eyes.

_Oh Shit, _he thought, _Mayor of Crazy Town's leading our class._

"Think about it!" She pronounced, brown eyes alarmingly wide. "The way children are these days…one wrong move, parents, is all it takes." She started nodding her head up and down, her bottom lip sticking out in a pathetic puppy-dog pout. "Yup. Just one wrong move, and you're child grows up into a punky teen that dies their hair, pierces multiple holes into their body where hideous spiky metal jewelry vacates, runs away from home to join the Night's Circus of sex and mayhem and who's clothing attire matches their soul—black and absent of anything bright that could possibly provide hope for the future of this world."

The class stared at her dumbly.

She smiled. "Now let's start class!"

**_This is a break!_**

"Oh wow, you're really good with him…"

"You two have the exact same eyes, such a pretty golden color!"

"He's precious, he really loves his daddy!"

"_I'm not his dad."_

Hikaru could feel his agitation practically seeping out of his pores. He did _not_ plan on being praised or groped by a group of mothers still suffering from the after effects of hormones today, and after the third wink in his general direction, he was ready to scoop up Kaoru and walk all the way home if he had to.

_But that's bad parenting, _the brunette mused in a mocking manner, _I don't want Kaoru growing up as a sex-addicted delinquent. _

"Um, excuse me…" A small blonde with short, curly hair tapped on Hikaru's shoulder, pulling him out of his fuming irritation. In her arms was an especially delicate looking baby wrapped up in a blue blanket, cheeks wet with tears and continuing to whine all the more. The mother's cheeks turned a light rose color as she grasped the baby tighter to her chest. "I noticed how good you were with your baby…and I just can't get mine to stop crying," she explained, green eyes looking at the young teen pleadingly. "Could you help me?"

Hikaru was surprised by the question. "H-help you?" _I hardly know what I'm doing. _"I-I…" He looked at the mother and then to Kaoru, who was snoozing quietly in his baby carrier while his guardian lightly rubbed circles into his hand, something he hadn't even realized he had been doing. Hikaru let his gaze linger on the hand.

Finally he looked back to the mother, smiling. "Honestly ma'am, I don't know how I do it…" the twin chuckled at himself. "I just let him know I'm there. All the time. You see, I'm slightly paranoid…" He ignored the fact that 'slightly' probably didn't cut it for his type of paranoid. "And extremely protective. I always keep at least one hand on him…whether to reassure him or myself, I'm not sure."

Hikaru then looked at the sleeping two-week old, feeling a pang of _something_ at the similarity between this baby and his beloved twin. The answer was simple to him, either way. "He just knows that as long as I'm there, there's nothing to cry about." A tint of red began to rise up in Hikaru's cheeks at the mere cheesiness of his explanation.

The curly-haired blonde looked at him with admiration. "Oh, that's possibly one of the sweetest things I've ever heard…" she giggled, rubbing her own child's tiny hand.

Another mother came over. "He's so sensitive!"

A fiery red-head came up and grasped his forearm casually. Her voice was at a devious whisper as she addressed the other mothers. "And attractive…"

"A man and a baby is probably the most adorable, _sexiest _thing I could ever imagine!"

"It's so rare when we get a man in the class, he's so down to earth…"

"Wonder if there's a wife back home!" A chorus of giggles followed.

Hikaru could feel a tingle in his cheeks and he coolly scratched at the back of his head, clearing his throat in an attempt to remind the women that he was right there. Surely these all these women had husbands back home!

A jet-black haired woman with entirely too much make-up on came up and grasped his other arm, getting extremely uncomfortably close to his ear. "So tell us…is there a wife?"

Hikaru stammered, cheeks flushing all the more. He was pretty sure he looked very similar to a tomato right now. "U-um…"

Another mother came up and nonchalantly placed a hand over his. "You aren't the type to get held down by one woman, surely?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her midnight shaded eyes.

"E-excuse me?"

"Surely not!" The mother on his left shoulder was shoved out of the way and quickly replaced by another with deep, black circles under her eyes and a nervous jittery twitch—probably from too many five-hour energies. "Just _look _at him—leather jacket, spiked hair…" She let out a laugh. "He must be the ring-master of the, ah, "Night's Circus" as Mrs. Sato puts it!"

"Alright listen!" Hikaru interrupted, "I-I'm not that type…"

"Oh how mysterious!"

"So, are available or not?"

The man being interrogated shook his head. "I'm not even going to answer that."

"So he must be!"

"Well give us your number!"

"N-no! Hell no!"

Many of the women pouted. "Why a-not?" they whined.

"Aren't we pretty enough?"

"Come on, let's have a night of fun!"

Hikaru did his best to shrug off the _barbaric women. _"We should pay attention to Mrs. Sato…" he tried.

"Give us your number at least!"

"I already said no!" he shouted again.

"Why?"

"Do you not like us?"

"But you're so cute, give us something!"

"Why don't you throw us a bone?"

"Yeah, what's your problem?"

Hikaru needed a way out of this.

"Give us one night of fun…"

FAST. He needed something FAST.

A caress on his cheek. "You're so young, not like my husband…"

SOMETHING.

_"BECAUSE I LIKE PENIS."_

….._Well, that certainly silenced them._

The tired mother from earlier spoke up. "Eh…what?"

"I'm gay. Very gay. I love men. LOVE men. Seriously." Hikaru cheeks were such a deep shade of burgundy at this point he was positive they would combust at any moment. "That's why."

Awkward silence.

"Then….how did you get a baby?"

Well, our brilliant Hitachiin twin didn't plan for that, now did he?

"I—h-he…no, no you know what? I found him. On the street. Like a little lost puppy. _That's _how I got him." Hikaru shook all the women off his arms and they easily came off, as if he were shaking the dead leaves off of a branch.

"That's…sweet, I suppose."

"No. Not really. I took him for the insurance benefits—completely selfish reasons," Hikaru continued, a sly shine to his golden eyes as he looked at all the mothers. "I'm a conceited egotistic bastard like that. You wanna stay away from me." He shrugged at the end, winking back at all of the women.

"Mr.—Hitachiin, is it?" A solemn, authoritative voice came from behind him.

_Oh shit._

"Um…" Hikaru slowly turned around, coming face to face with Mrs. Sato who eyed him warily, like a teacher who had just caught her student texting in class. "Y-yes," he finally answered.

She pursed her lips, looking the young man up and down with calculating, critical eyes that wanted nothing more than to shoot lasers at poor Hikaru. "Think you've got it all figured it out, do you?" She questioned, circling around the brunette like a vulture circling around the dead carcass of its next meal.

"N-no, of course not," Hikaru automatically answered, gradually turning around to face the teacher.

"Well…just look at you," Mrs. Sato began, stopping and pointing an accusing bright fuchsia nail at the boy. "Leather jacket—spiked hair…is that a piercing I see? Hm…" She hummed to herself, as if calculating all the information. "You're one of _those." _Mrs. Sato finally concluded, sneering.

Hikaru furrowed his brow, instinctively stepping in front of Kaoru. "What do you mean, _those?" _he inquired, looking the woman up and down with a scowl.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" she chuckled, gesturing to him. "You're one of the punks!" Hikaru's eyes widened, and he cocked his head to the side as if inviting the woman to continue.

"In your young years you probably pulled an endless amount of childish pranks and wreaked havoc around your surrounding area, simply because you could," Mrs. Sato answered smartly, crossing her arms and looking at the boy in a very belittling sort of way.

Hikaru only laughed. "E-excuse me?"

Her bright pink lips puckered out all the more as she turned her attention to the little baby behind Hikaru; Mrs. Sato's eyes darted in between guardian and child. Finally she let out a sardonic laugh as she looked to the baby once more.

"Lord knows there's little hope for that child you got there."

_"Excuse me?"_

Mrs. Sato shrugged, sniffing snobbishly. "Well being raised by a delinquent…doubt he'll come out any different than you," she laughed as if it were all a big joke, "He'll probably grow up corrupted just like the rest of today's children. Eventually get arrested for, I don't know, drug charges or something." The snotty teacher smirked, delighted in the way Hikaru visibly shook with anger. "Who knows. Maybe one day he'll overdose on some street crap."

Suddenly Mrs. Sato found her back shoved against a wall, one fist keeping her pinned against it. Hikaru's eyes said it all—one more word and soon she'd find her nose up in her brain.

"Listen lady," he snarled, "Let's say you're right. I was a shitty teen—that's means I have no problem with punching a lady in the face."

He kept his hand on Mrs. Sato's shoulder to keep her pressed against the wall, however the gesture was extremely unconcerned and off hand, like he was having a normal conversation with her. The angered teen made sure to keep his body at a distance, not threatening but he was sure he had her full attention.

"Say whatever the hell you want about me, but leave that kid _out _of it," Hikaru said in a surprising steady voice, quiet but it got the point across. He licked his lips nervously and gulped, memories flashing through his mind that had permanently welted and scarred themselves into his brain. "He's going to get better than that. I'm going to make sure of it," he explained, relishing in the scared frightened look in Mrs. Sato's eyes. "He's going to grow up to be a good kid, because someone's always going to be there for him," Hikaru explained, feeling something warm start to well up in his eyes. "I'll make sure of it," he repeated, finally releasing the horrified teacher and turning his back to her.

Mrs. Sato stood stock-still, her light pink floral skirt flowing around her legs as her dark, muddy brown eyes froze onto the back of her male student. Her mouth gaped like a fish; her long skinny hands shook slightly.

Hikaru paid her no mind. He didn't give a shit. Automatically he checked on the baby that rested in the baby carrier, and smiled when he saw big bright gilded eyes blinking back up at him. Silently Hikaru tucked a blanket tight around Kaoru, who made a cooing noise at his guardian. The teen shushed him as he scooped up the carrier and hung it on one arm, turning his back on the entire class. He felt every single pair of eyes staring at him as he exited, all temperamental and condemning towards the young man. But the Hitachiin has never cared before, and he certainly didn't now.

**_This is a break!_**

"So how was the class?" Haruhi asked kindly and hopefully as Hikaru buckled little Kaoru in, huffing as he finally got it done. He then slid in the car, shooting his two friends in the front seat the biggest, most jolly grin he could forge.

"Well, I learned that I'm a selfish sexy ass hole that was raised in the ghetto of Tama according to my appearance, and that Kaoru has no chance as an adult of any hope of a successful future and will most likely become the next neighborhood crack-addict who offers teens small packets of white powder for ten dollars a pound."

"Eh…what?"

"Just…take us home. Now. Please."

**HOLY FUDGE I FINISHED.**

**YES h^_^h FUDGE YEAH.**

**Alright guys, you deserve like the most overwhelming amount of updates for the next month. So, any requests for when Kaoru is in his early years, get them in there so we many continue with the story! Promise that the rest of the summer will be filled with updates and Hikaru and little Kaoru! 3 I'm hoping to get updates at least every Sunday, maybe even every Friday.**

**I will be starting some other stories, some under different names and some original on other sites, so Hetalia, Nabari, and Rise of Guardian fans look out! :) **

**Please review. Just a 'good job!' or 'this was freaking shit!' would be great. I don't care at this point. **

**LOVE Y'ALL.**


	8. Butterfly: 19 Days

**HEY EVERYBODY. Another update within a year?! I'm on a roll!**

**So, I'm not really getting too many comments or reaction on my last chapter, which is fine, it's my fault I took so long, but if not enough people are showing interest in the story I will have to stop writing because I just have too much going on. I've literally stayed up 'til five a. m. finishing a chapter because I'm so busy…. BUT ANYWAY…done with my pity party….**

**So make sure you check out the LAST CHAPTER which IS NO LONGER AN AUTHOR'S NOTE, but an ACTUAL CHAPTER :) **

**Disclaimer**

_**Butterfly**_

_**19 Days**_

_**January 28, 2012**_

_**A New Host Club!**_

"…You guys are crazy."

Hikaru looked the small café up and down, noting its need for refurbishing and a serious new paint job (according to the hideously bright pink shudders). A harsh chilly breeze had him pulling the baby he held, all bundled up and barely visible, closer to his chest. His nose was starting to run and he could practically feel his cheeks already chapping as white powdery puffs began to drizzle from the sky, smooth and graceful movements like a trickle of water or the bat of a butterfly's wings.

The young man sniffed, gathering his bright red nose up in a small grimace. "And I certainly can't believe milord wrapped _you _into his crazy schemes, Kyouya-sempai."

The aforementioned ebony-haired man smiled, so sweetly devious but also affectionate, and turned toward his younger friend. "I think it's a fun idea," his eyes darted back to the blonde prince, "and frankly I miss being so busy taking care of this crazy club while taking over the world in my spare time."

The brunette next to him snorted. "You know, sometimes sempai, I believe you grow fangs at night and simply hypnotize your victims into unsuspecting corporal take-overs," Hikaru said with a smile, studying the building once again. "But you're right…starting the host club again actually will be fun."

Tamaki skipped over, his signature child-like grin lighting up his entire face. "Alright! Kyouya, Hikaru," he addressed them, clapping his hands, "now I know everybody couldn't make it today, but the first new Host Club meeting must go on!" he declared.

"Yes…about that," Kyouya interrupted, the golden-haired king's face visibly dropping.

"What?"

"We bought the café in hopes of entertaining guests on weekends, however most of us will have schedule conflicts it seems," the Shadow King brought up, looking through his little black notebook. "It's an absolute miracle that I was able to make it."

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah Tamaki…don't get me wrong, I love the idea, but I kind of have a kid to take care of now," he rocked Kaoru a little as if to exaggerate his point, "and we're all grown up, we can't make the Host Club our first priority anymore."

Tamaki deflated, his smile falling instantly and lavender-shaded eyes losing their brilliant glow. He pursed his lips, resting his chin on his fist as if in thought. "I suppose you're right…"

A small smirk. "I do have an idea, however, Tamaki," Kyouya said, a gleam in his glasses.

Tamaki grinned. "And what would that be?"

The youngest Otoori looked at Hikaru for a moment, silently requesting his approval of the idea as well. "Why don't we simply hold try-outs for new hosts?"

Hikaru scowled slightly—he _did not_ like the idea of some newbies coming up and screwing up their beloved club. "No way! Whoever's chosen to be the 'new hosts' will just get cocky and start doing whatever they want!" he protested, eye brows narrowed.

Tamaki chortled at him. "Kind of like you did, Hikaru?"

Hikaru grimaced further. "I-it was different when Kaoru—" the name slightly burned his tongue "—and I did it! We actually respected you, Tamaki (somewhat), and didn't plan to steal the club away—we don't know what the newbies could plan to do!"

"And that's why we're going to have try-outs," Kyouya interrupted, "besides—_we _own the building and will be supplying our new, employees I suppose, with their paychecks. With seven bosses they'll be too afraid to pull any type of anarchy over us." A slight purple glow started to surround the Shadow King, and Hikaru could swear he heard the cawing of crows and the screams of young hosts in the back ground. "I'll make sure of that."

Tamaki did a small giddy hop. "I think it's a perfect idea, Kyouya! A new generation of hosts!" The blonde French boy then turned towards Hikaru with a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it'll be fine Hikaru, we have an Otoori on our side!"

Hikaru could feel a grin poking at the tips of his lips. "I suppose you're right…"

The elder gripped his shoulders. "And think about it! One day little Kaoru there could take over for us, and the Host Club could continue for ages!" Tamaki mentioned joyfully, bending slightly and caressing the sleeping baby's cheek with his pointer finger. He swelled as Kaoru made a content hum in his sleep.

Hikaru chuckled. "Alright, alright, might as well."

Kyouya smirked cunningly, "Perfect."

Tamaki clapped his hands once again, as if officially adjourning the meeting. "It's final then—we'll have try-outs next week!"

_**NOW YOU HAVE TO VOTE FOR OUR NEXT HOSTS!**_

**Yup—**_**you **_**guys get to decide who will replace each host 'type' for the new host club! **_**And who better than to choose other characters from all of our favorite animes? :3**_

**I have chosen two or three other characters for each type, and I will list them below, but if you have another character you would like to nominate, **_**let me know! **_**Some of the types I had a hard time with, so the more characters the better! Those new nominations will then be seen during try-outs.**

**Here's the list:**

**COOL TYPE: **

** Soul—Soul Eater**

** Sebastian—Black Butler**

** Yuki—Fruits Basket**

**PRINCELY TYPE:**

** France—Hetalia**

** Ayame—Fruits Basket**

** Raikou WITH Gau—Nabari no Ou (Stay with me here, we need some pairing to replace Hikaru and Kaoru ;) and I have great ideas for these two! If you haven't seen this anime, WATCH IT. WATCH IT NOW. These two will be your new favorite pairing. Seriously. )**

**NAUGHTY TYPE:**

** Hiro—Fruits Basket**

** Death the Kid—Soul Eater**

**THE NATURAL:**

** Canada—Hetalia**

** Italy—Hetalia (I had to put him in here somewhere!)**

** Ciel—Black Butler (That loveable douchebag!)**

**THE SILENT TYPE:**

** Senri- +Anime (the only other silent character I know of…)**

** Japan—Hetalia**

**LOLITA:**

** Miharu—Nabari no Ou**

** Momiji—Fruits Basket (HE'S A BUNNY FOR GODS SAKE)**

** Sealand—Hetalia**

**Alright! There's my ideas, now you guys throw in yours!**

**Now I know some of them you probably looked at like 'WTF that makes NO SENSE' but work with me. A week for anymore nominations, and then you guys will read their try-outs and decide who you like best! Then you vote, and that character will probably become a regular character for Butterfly Child! :3 So choose wisely! ;)**

**I will be on va-cay for a week, so I won't be able to update until next Monday probably. But until then, think about who you would like as a host! :)**

**LOVE Y'ALL**


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